Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Verint Systems from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Verint Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.67.

Verint Systems Price Performance

Shares of Verint Systems stock traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $25.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 506,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 619,398. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $26.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.96. Verint Systems has a 12-month low of $21.27 and a 12-month high of $38.17. The company has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 27.32, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Peter Fante sold 16,233 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.52, for a total transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Grant A. Highlander sold 12,880 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.25, for a total value of $376,740.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 117,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,426,257.25. This represents a 9.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verint Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Verint Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Verint Systems during the 4th quarter worth $52,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 613 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Verint Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Verint Systems by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,380 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 1,449 shares during the period. 94.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Verint Systems

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.