-$0.11 Earnings Per Share Expected for LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) This Quarter

29 May 2020, 12:36 by Danessa Lincoln

Equities research analysts expect LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) to report earnings of ($0.11) per share for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Eight analysts have provided estimates for LivePerson’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at ($0.08) and the lowest estimate coming in at ($0.14). LivePerson posted earnings of ($0.20) per share during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year-over-year growth rate of 45%. The firm is expected to issue its next quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that LivePerson will report full year earnings of ($0.46) per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from ($0.51) to ($0.42). For the next year, analysts forecast that the company will post earnings of ($0.19) per share, with EPS estimates ranging from ($0.29) to ($0.06). Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that that provide coverage for LivePerson.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of LivePerson from $47.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Craig Hallum dropped their price objective on shares of LivePerson from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. Oppenheimer restated a “hold” rating on shares of LivePerson in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of LivePerson from $40.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, B. Riley lifted their price target on shares of LivePerson from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.31.

In related news, EVP Monica L. Greenberg sold 12,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.67, for a total value of $441,763.49. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Fred Mossler sold 7,102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.75, for a total transaction of $260,998.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,286,250. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 79,149 shares of company stock valued at $2,892,762 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 10.70% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPSN. NEXT Financial Group Inc purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the 1st quarter valued at $68,000. Parallel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the 1st quarter valued at $74,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in LivePerson in the 4th quarter valued at $81,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in LivePerson by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,841 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 727 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.70% of the company’s stock.

Shares of LPSN stock opened at $36.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -20.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.70. LivePerson has a fifty-two week low of $14.08 and a fifty-two week high of $45.21.

LivePerson Company Profile

LivePerson, Inc provides conversational commerce solutions. The company operates in two segments, Business and Consumer. The Business segment enables brands to leverage LiveEngage's intelligence engine to connect with consumers through an integrated suite of mobile and online business messaging technologies.