LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Thursday.

Separately, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $0.88.

LivePerson Trading Up 6.9 %

NASDAQ LPSN opened at $0.98 on Thursday. LivePerson has a one year low of $0.45 and a one year high of $2.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $1.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.12. The firm has a market cap of $88.43 million, a PE ratio of -0.64 and a beta of 1.51.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LivePerson

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

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.