Short Interest in LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) Declines By 25.1%

LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,210,000 shares, a decline of 25.1% from the October 31st total of 9,630,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,950,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days.

LivePerson Price Performance

LivePerson stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $0.97. The stock had a trading volume of 1,064,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,256,880. LivePerson has a 1-year low of $0.45 and a 1-year high of $3.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.63 and a beta of 1.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.24, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Insider Activity at LivePerson

In related news, CAO Jeffrey Ford sold 21,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.14, for a total value of $25,005.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 378,707 shares in the company, valued at $431,725.98. This trade represents a 5.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO John Deneen Collins sold 85,126 shares of LivePerson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.05, for a total value of $89,382.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 287,604 shares in the company, valued at $301,984.20. This represents a 22.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 237,061 shares of company stock worth $224,888 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LivePerson

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. XTX Topco Ltd raised its position in 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 during the last quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC raised its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $515,000 after buying an additional 15,032 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in LivePerson during the 3rd quarter valued at $513,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in LivePerson during the second quarter worth $32,000. 79.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LPSN. Craig Hallum downgraded LivePerson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $1.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of LivePerson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1.25.

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.