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

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

Separately, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $0.88.

LivePerson Price Performance

LPSN stock opened at $0.98 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1.24 and a 200-day moving average of $1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.43 million, a P/E ratio of -0.64 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24. LivePerson has a 12 month low of $0.45 and a 12 month high of $2.08.

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The technology company reported ($1.27) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($1.23). The business had revenue of $73.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.12 million. LivePerson had a negative return on equity of 111.48% and a negative net margin of 18.72%. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.06) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LivePerson will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LivePerson

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LPSN. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in 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 buying an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in 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 buying an additional 15,032 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in LivePerson in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Wolverine Trading LLC raised its position in LivePerson by 104.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 32,121 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 16,385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. raised its position in LivePerson by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 50,920 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 18,600 shares during the last quarter. 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.