LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) Short Interest Up 35.9% in December

LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) saw a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,810,000 shares, a growth of 35.9% from the December 15th total of 7,220,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,510,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days.

LivePerson Price Performance

NASDAQ:LPSN traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $1.38. The company had a trading volume of 2,449,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,044,847. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $1.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.10. LivePerson has a 52-week low of $0.45 and a 52-week high of $3.29. 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 company has a market capitalization of $124.56 million, a PE ratio of -0.90 and a beta of 1.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on LPSN. StockNews.com raised shares of LivePerson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th. Craig Hallum lowered shares of LivePerson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $1.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1.25.

Insider Activity at LivePerson

In other LivePerson news, CFO John Deneen Collins sold 130,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $0.85, for a total value of $110,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 997,604 shares in the company, valued at $847,963.40. This trade represents a 11.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bruce Edward Hansen sold 84,944 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.85, for a total value of $72,202.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 249,783 shares of company stock worth $228,097. 9.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LivePerson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $68,000. XTX Topco Ltd raised its stake in shares of LivePerson by 1,162.0% during the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 210,770 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 194,069 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 15,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the 3rd quarter valued at $513,000. 79.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.