Pegasystems (NASDAQ:PEGA) Director Dianne Ledingham Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ:PEGA) Director Dianne Ledingham sold 1,000 shares of Pegasystems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total transaction of $38,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 39,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,492,640. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Pegasystems Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of PEGA stock opened at $36.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $33.18 and its 200 day moving average is $35.85. Pegasystems Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.10 and a 12 month high of $68.10.

Pegasystems (NASDAQ:PEGA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The technology company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $420.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $427.38 million. Pegasystems had a net margin of 18.66% and a return on equity of 32.21%. Pegasystems’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Pegasystems Inc. will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Pegasystems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Pegasystems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PEGA shares. Citigroup cut shares of Pegasystems from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pegasystems in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $39.00 price target (down from $48.00) on shares of Pegasystems in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Loop Capital lowered Pegasystems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $25.00 in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson set a $32.00 price objective on shares of Pegasystems and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pegasystems

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pegasystems by 20.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,406 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 1,583 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Pegasystems by 59.8% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 40,987 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,228,000 after acquiring an additional 15,343 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pegasystems by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 20,032 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pegasystems in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,007,000. Finally, Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of Pegasystems during the 2nd quarter valued at $91,000. 46.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Pegasystems

Here are the key news stories impacting Pegasystems this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan’s revised $47 price target remains approximately 30% above the current share price, suggesting the bank sees potential for recovery. However, the firm’s neutral rating indicates limited near-term conviction. Pegasystems Shares Fall After JPMorgan Downgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: An analysis of Pegasystems’ sharp annual decline examines where the stock could go from here. The company’s enterprise automation, customer engagement and artificial-intelligence software offer long-term growth potential, but investors are weighing that opportunity against recent weakness and valuation risks. Pegasystems Stock Has Fallen 46% in a Year. Here’s Where the Stock Could Go
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target from $54 to $47 while reaffirming a neutral rating. The reduced target reinforces concerns about the stock’s outlook and was the clearest immediate catalyst for selling pressure. Pegasystems Shares Fall After JPMorgan Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders continued to sell shares: Chief Accounting Officer Efstathios Kouninis sold 982 shares, director Dianne Ledingham sold 1,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and insider Rifat Kerim Akgonul previously sold 7,000 shares. These transactions may weigh on sentiment, although planned sales do not necessarily signal deteriorating fundamentals. Pegasystems Insider Selling

Pegasystems Company Profile

Pegasystems Inc develops enterprise software for customer engagement, workflow automation and business process management. Its solutions help organizations manage customer service, sales, marketing, operations and back-office processes across digital and traditional channels.

The company’s product portfolio includes Pega Platform, a low-code application development and automation platform; Pega Customer Service and Pega Sales; Pega Customer Decision Hub for real-time, personalized customer engagement; and tools for case management, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence.