LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Separately, Craig Hallum cut shares of LivePerson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $1.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LivePerson presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $0.88.

LivePerson Trading Up 4.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ LPSN opened at $1.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.15. LivePerson has a twelve month low of $0.45 and a twelve month high of $2.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.28 million, a PE ratio of -0.72 and a beta of 1.59.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The technology company reported ($1.27) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($1.23). LivePerson had a negative net margin of 18.72% and a negative return on equity of 111.48%. The firm had revenue of $73.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.06) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that LivePerson will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bruce Edward Hansen sold 84,944 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $0.85, for a total value of $72,202.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 9.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of LivePerson

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of LivePerson during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in LivePerson by 89.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 19,006 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC raised its holdings in LivePerson by 104.1% during the third quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 32,121 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 16,385 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of LivePerson in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. 79.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.