Pegasystems (NASDAQ:PEGA) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Pegasystems (NASDAQ:PEGA) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on PEGA. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Pegasystems from $90.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on Pegasystems from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Pegasystems in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Pegasystems in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Pegasystems from $99.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.36.

Pegasystems Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of PEGA stock traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $78.17. 1,030,270 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,015,965. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.40 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.75. Pegasystems has a 52-week low of $54.55 and a 52-week high of $113.67.

Pegasystems (NASDAQ:PEGA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The technology company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.20). Pegasystems had a net margin of 6.63% and a return on equity of 32.09%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pegasystems will post 1.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Leon Trefler sold 752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.60, for a total transaction of $71,139.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 36,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,489,226.40. This trade represents a 2.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Kenneth Stillwell sold 7,742 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.72, for a total value of $655,902.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,225,559.52. The trade was a 34.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,745 shares of company stock worth $2,001,989. Corporate insiders own 50.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pegasystems by 150.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Pegasystems during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Pegasystems by 85.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 323 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pegasystems by 49.1% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 656 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pegasystems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. 46.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Pegasystems

Pegasystems Inc develops, markets, licenses, hosts, and supports enterprise software in the United States, rest of the Americas, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The company provides Pega Infinity, a software portfolio comprising of Pega Customer Decision Hub, a real-time AI-powered decision engine to enhance customer acquisition and experiences across inbound, outbound, and paid media channels; Pega Customer Service to anticipate customer needs, connect customers to people and systems, and automate customer interactions to evolve the customer service experience, as well as to allow enterprises to deliver interactions across channels and enhance employee productivity; and Pega Platform, an intelligent automation software for increasing efficiency of clients’ processes and workflows.