LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $0.88.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LivePerson from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Buying and Selling at LivePerson

In other LivePerson news, Director Bruce Edward Hansen sold 84,944 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.85, for a total transaction of $72,202.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in LivePerson by 89.9% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 19,006 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of LivePerson by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 402,345 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $515,000 after buying an additional 15,032 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Wolverine Trading LLC lifted its position in shares of LivePerson by 104.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 32,121 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 16,385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of LivePerson by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 50,920 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 18,600 shares during the last quarter. 79.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LivePerson Price Performance

LivePerson stock opened at $0.93 on Monday. LivePerson has a 52-week low of $0.45 and a 52-week high of $2.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1.30 and a 200-day moving average of $1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.38 million, a P/E ratio of -0.61 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $73.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.12 million. LivePerson had a negative net margin of 18.72% and a negative return on equity of 111.48%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.06) earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that LivePerson 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.