AQR Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN)

AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 274,548 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $159,000. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.31% of LivePerson as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPSN. Archon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson during the first quarter worth approximately $5,313,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in LivePerson by 6.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,656,439 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,634,000 after purchasing an additional 523,694 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in LivePerson by 131.3% in the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 406,123 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 230,564 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in LivePerson by 1,633.2% in the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 205,173 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 193,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in LivePerson by 264.0% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 226,087 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 163,978 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at LivePerson

In related news, EVP Monica L. Greenberg sold 34,441 shares of LivePerson stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.12, for a total value of $38,573.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 181,607 shares in the company, valued at $203,399.84. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other LivePerson news, EVP Monica L. Greenberg sold 34,441 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.12, for a total transaction of $38,573.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 181,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $203,399.84. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO John Deneen Collins sold 85,126 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.05, for a total transaction of $89,382.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 287,604 shares in the company, valued at $301,984.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 211,775 shares of company stock worth $233,347 in the last three months. Insiders own 9.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Craig Hallum increased their price target on shares of LivePerson from $1.25 to $1.40 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LivePerson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on LivePerson from $0.75 to $1.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, LivePerson currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1.32.

LivePerson Stock Performance

Shares of LPSN opened at $1.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.04. The firm has a market cap of $102.79 million, a PE ratio of -0.81 and a beta of 1.79. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.91. LivePerson, Inc. has a 12-month low of $0.45 and a 12-month high of $3.98.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The technology company reported ($0.74) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.16) by ($0.58). LivePerson had a negative net margin of 24.23% and a negative return on equity of 101.10%. The firm had revenue of $79.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.62 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that LivePerson, Inc. will post -0.41 EPS for the current year.

About LivePerson

LivePerson, Inc engages in conversational artificial intelligence. It enables brands to leverage the Conversational Cloud's intelligence engine to connect with consumers through an integrated suite of mobile and online business messaging technologies. The company offers the Conversational Cloud, an enterprise-class digital customer conversation platform, which enables businesses and consumers to connect through conversational channels, such as voice, in-app, and mobile messaging.