LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) Short Interest Up 29.2% in February

LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,740,000 shares, an increase of 29.2% from the January 31st total of 9,090,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,780,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

LivePerson Trading Down 13.0 %

Shares of LPSN traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $0.96. The stock had a trading volume of 2,362,720 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,272,077. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1.30 and its 200 day moving average is $1.15. The firm has a market cap of $86.38 million, a PE ratio of -0.63 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27. LivePerson has a 1 year low of $0.45 and a 1 year high of $2.08.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The technology company reported ($1.27) earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.12 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.06) earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that LivePerson will post -0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LPSN has been the topic of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a research report on Thursday. Craig Hallum downgraded shares of LivePerson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $1.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of LivePerson from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $0.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at LivePerson

In related news, Director Bruce Edward Hansen sold 84,944 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $0.85, for a total transaction of $72,202.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 9.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LivePerson

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LPSN. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 9,000 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC increased its holdings in LivePerson by 104.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 32,121 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 16,385 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in LivePerson during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth $66,000. 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.