Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on VRNT. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Verint Systems from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Verint Systems in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Verint Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.67.

Verint Systems Stock Down 1.7 %

NASDAQ VRNT opened at $25.68 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.86. Verint Systems has a one year low of $21.27 and a one year high of $38.17. The firm has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Insider Activity

In other Verint Systems news, CFO Grant A. Highlander sold 12,880 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.25, for a total transaction of $376,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 117,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,426,257.25. This trade represents a 9.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Peter Fante sold 16,233 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.52, for a total value of $446,732.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 73,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,017,601.28. This trade represents a 18.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VRNT. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Verint Systems in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Verint Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Verint Systems by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,955 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Verint Systems during the third quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in Verint Systems by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,380 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,449 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.95% of the company’s stock.

Verint Systems Company Profile

Verint Systems Inc provides customer engagement solutions worldwide. It offers forecasting and scheduling, channels and routing, knowledge management, fraud and security solutions, quality and compliance, analytics and insights, real-time assistance, self-services, financial compliance, and voice pf the consumer solutions.