Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. Increases Stake in Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT)

Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT) by 39.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,717,703 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 486,000 shares during the quarter. Verint Systems accounts for about 3.4% of Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. owned about 2.76% of Verint Systems worth $47,151,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of Verint Systems by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH now owns 20,012 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Verint Systems by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,380 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 1,449 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in Verint Systems during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in Verint Systems by 29.9% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 7,075 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Verint Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. 94.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verint Systems Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRNT opened at $22.21 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $25.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.24. Verint Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.28 and a 52-week high of $38.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRNT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Verint Systems from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com lowered Verint Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Verint Systems in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verint Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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