LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Separately, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $0.88.

LivePerson Price Performance

NASDAQ LPSN opened at $0.93 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.20 million, a PE ratio of -0.61 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.13. LivePerson has a 12-month low of $0.45 and a 12-month high of $2.08.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $73.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 firm earned ($0.06) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that LivePerson will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of LivePerson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in LivePerson by 3.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 402,345 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 15,032 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in LivePerson during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wolverine Trading LLC increased its position in LivePerson by 104.1% during the third quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 32,121 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 16,385 shares during the period. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. increased its position in LivePerson by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 50,920 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 18,600 shares during the period. 79.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LivePerson Company Profile

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.