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

StockNews.com downgraded shares of LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

Separately, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a research note on Thursday, May 8th.

LivePerson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LPSN opened at $0.72 on Wednesday. LivePerson has a 52 week low of $0.52 and a 52 week high of $2.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.91 million, a P/E ratio of -0.47 and a beta of 1.75. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $0.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.01. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The technology company reported ($1.27) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($1.23). LivePerson had a negative return on equity of 111.48% and a negative net margin of 18.72%. The firm had revenue of $73.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.06) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that LivePerson will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at LivePerson

In other LivePerson news, CEO Anthony John Sabino sold 166,213 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.90, for a total value of $149,591.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,920,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,628,345.60. The trade was a 5.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Vanessa Pegueros sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.90, for a total transaction of $27,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 139,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $125,993.70. This trade represents a 17.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 310,204 shares of company stock valued at $287,471 in the last three months. Company insiders own 9.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LivePerson

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LPSN. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $68,000. Dodds Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of LivePerson by 89.9% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 19,006 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 9,000 shares during the period. 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.