Verint Announces New $200 Million Stock Buyback Program

Rhea-AI Summary

Verint (Nasdaq: VRNT), The CX Automation Company, has announced a new $200 million stock buyback program authorized by its board of directors. The program will run from August 29, 2024, to August 29, 2026. Verint may use various methods for repurchases, including open market purchases, accelerated stock repurchase plans, and Rule 10b5-1 or Rule 10b-18 compliant repurchase plans. The company will consider prevailing stock prices, market conditions, and other factors when determining the timing, price, and size of purchases. The program is flexible, allowing for extension, suspension, or discontinuation without prior notice, and does not obligate Verint to acquire any specific amount of common stock.

Positive

• Authorization of a substantial $200 million stock buyback program
• Potential to increase shareholder value through reduced share count
• Flexibility in repurchase methods, allowing for strategic implementation
• Two-year duration of the program, providing ample time for execution

Negative

• Large cash allocation for buybacks may limit funds for other investments or growth initiatives
• No guarantee of share price appreciation despite the buyback program

Insights

Financial Analyst

Verint's announcement of a $200 million stock buyback program signals confidence in the company's financial health and future prospects. This move is typically seen as a positive signal to investors, as it can potentially increase earnings per share and stock value. However, it's important to note that the program's effectiveness depends on execution and market conditions.

Key points to consider:

• The program's two-year duration provides flexibility in timing repurchases.
• The $200 million cap represents a significant commitment, indicating strong cash flow expectations.
• The variety of repurchase methods mentioned suggests a strategic approach to maximize value.

While stock buybacks can be beneficial, investors should also consider whether this capital could be better utilized for growth initiatives or R&D. Overall, this program reflects management's belief in Verint's undervaluation and commitment to shareholder returns.

Market Research Analyst

Verint's stock buyback program aligns with broader market trends where companies are increasingly using repurchases to boost shareholder value. This strategy often appeals to investors seeking companies with strong cash positions and confidence in their future performance. However, it's essential to contextualize this move within Verint's competitive landscape and growth trajectory.

Key market implications:

• Potential positive impact on stock liquidity and trading volumes.
• May attract value investors looking for companies reinvesting in themselves.
• Could signal organic growth opportunities in the CX automation sector.

Investors should monitor how this program affects Verint's financial ratios and compare it with industry peers' capital allocation strategies to gauge its relative effectiveness in driving shareholder value.

Legal Expert

Verint's stock buyback announcement includes several legal considerations that investors should note:

• The program's compliance with Rule 10b5-1 and Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act provides a safe harbor against insider trading allegations.
• The board's authorization and specified timeline (August 29, 2024 to August 29, 2026) establish clear governance parameters.
• The disclosure of multiple repurchase methods offers transparency while maintaining flexibility.

Importantly, the statement that the program "does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of common stock" protects Verint from potential legal challenges if market conditions change. This legal framework demonstrates prudent corporate governance while giving management discretion in execution.

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Verint® (Nasdaq: VRNT), The CX Automation Company™, today announced that our board of directors had authorized a new stock repurchase program for the period from August 29, 2024 until August 29, 2026, whereby we may repurchase shares of common stock not to exceed, in the aggregate, $200.0 million during the repurchase period.

We may utilize a number of different methods to effect the repurchases, including open market purchases, which may include, without limitation, round lot or block transactions, including through one or more accelerated stock repurchase plans or pursuant to the terms of one or more repurchase plans in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 or Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The specific timing, price, and size of purchases will depend on prevailing stock prices, general market and economic conditions, and other considerations. The program may be extended, suspended, or discontinued at any time without prior notice and does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of common stock.

About Verint Systems Inc.

Verint^® (Nasdaq: VRNT) is a leader in customer experience ("CX") automation. The world’s most iconic brands – including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies – use the Verint Open Platform and our team of AI-powered bots to deliver tangible AI business outcomes across the enterprise.

Verint. The CX Automation Company™, is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work®. Learn more at Verint.com.

Cautions About Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding expectations, predictions, views, opportunities, plans, strategies, beliefs, and statements of similar effect relating to Verint Systems Inc. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and they are based on management's expectations that involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results or conditions to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could cause our actual results or conditions to differ materially from current expectations include, among others: uncertainties regarding the impact of changes in macroeconomic and/or global conditions, including as a result of slowdowns, recessions, economic instability, rising interest rates, tightening credit markets, inflation, instability in the banking sector, actual or threatened trade wars, political unrest, armed conflicts, natural disasters, or outbreaks of disease (including global epidemics or pandemics), as well as the resulting impact on spending by customers or partners, on our business; risks that our customers or partners delay, downsize, cancel, or refrain from placing orders or renewing subscriptions or contracts, or are unable to honor contractual commitments or payment obligations due to challenges or uncertainties in their budgets, liquidity, or businesses; risks associated with our ability to keep pace with technological advances and challenges and evolving industry standards, including achieving, demonstrating, and maintaining the competitive differentiation of our solution platform; to adapt to changing market potential from area to area within our markets; and to successfully develop, launch, and drive demand for new, innovative, high-quality products and services that meet or exceed customer challenges and needs, while simultaneously preserving our legacy businesses and migrating away from areas of commoditization; risks due to aggressive competition in all of our markets and our ability to keep pace with competitors, some of whom may be able to grow faster than us or have greater resources than us, including in areas such as sales and marketing, branding, technological innovation and development, and recruiting and retention; risks associated with our ability to properly execute on our software as a service ("SaaS") transition, including successfully transitioning customers to our cloud platform and the increased importance of subscription renewal rates and term lengths, and risk of increased variability in our period-to-period results based on the mix, terms, and timing of our transactions; risks relating to our ability to properly identify and execute on growth or strategic initiatives, manage investments in our business and operations, and enhance our existing operations and infrastructure, including the proper prioritization and allocation of limited financial and other resources; risks associated with our ability to or costs to retain, recruit, and train qualified personnel and management in regions in which we operate either physically or remotely, including in new markets and growth areas we may enter, due to competition for talent, increased labor costs, applicable regulatory requirements, or otherwise; challenges associated with selling sophisticated solutions and cloud-based solutions, which may incorporate newer technologies, such as artificial intelligence ("AI"), whose adoption, value, and use-cases are still emerging (and may present risks of their own), including with respect to longer sales cycles, more complex sales processes and customer evaluation and approval processes, more complex contractual and information security requirements, and assisting customers in understanding and realizing the benefits of our solutions and technologies, as well as with developing, offering, implementing, and maintaining an enterprise-class, broad solution portfolio; risks that we may be unable to maintain, expand, or enable our relationships with partners as part of our growth strategy, including partners with whom we may overlap or compete, while avoiding excessive concentration with one or more partners; risks associated with our reliance on third-party suppliers, partners, or original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) for certain services, products, or components, including companies that may compete with us or work with our competitors; risks associated with our significant international operations, including exposure to regions subject to political or economic instability, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, inflation, increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities, and challenges associated with a significant portion of our cash being held overseas; risks associated with a significant part of our business coming from government contracts, and associated procurement processes and regulatory requirements; risks associated with our ability to identify suitable targets for acquisition or investment or successfully compete for, consummate, and implement mergers and acquisitions, including risks associated with valuations, legacy liabilities, reputational considerations, capital constraints, costs and expenses, maintaining profitability levels, expansion into new areas, management distraction, post-acquisition integration activities, and potential asset impairments; risks associated with complex and changing domestic and foreign regulatory environments, including, among others, with respect to data privacy, AI, cyber/information security, government contracts, anti-corruption, trade compliance, climate change or other environmental, social and governance matters, tax, and labor matters, relating to our own operations, the products and services we offer, and/or the use of our solutions by our customers; risks associated with the mishandling or perceived mishandling of sensitive or confidential information and data, including personally identifiable information or other information that may belong to our customers or other third parties, including in connection with our SaaS or other hosted or managed services offerings or when we are asked to perform service or support; risks associated with our reliance on third parties to provide certain cloud hosting or other cloud-based services to us or our customers, including the risk of service disruptions, data breaches, or data loss or corruption; risks that our solutions or services, or those of third-party suppliers, partners, or OEMs which we use in or with our offerings or otherwise rely on, including third-party hosting platforms, may contain defects, vulnerabilities, or develop operational problems; risk that we or our solutions may be subject to security vulnerabilities or lapses, including cyber-attacks, information technology system breaches, failures, or disruptions; risks that our intellectual property ("IP") rights may not be adequate to protect our business or assets or that others may make claims on our IP, claim infringement on their IP rights, or claim a violation of their license rights, including relative to free or open source components we may use; risks associated with leverage resulting from our current debt position or our ability to incur additional debt, including with respect to liquidity considerations, covenant limitations and compliance, fluctuations in interest rates, dilution considerations (with respect to our convertible notes), and our ability to maintain our credit ratings; risks that we may experience liquidity or working capital issues and related risks that financing sources may be unavailable to us on reasonable terms or at all; risks arising as a result of contingent or other obligations or liabilities assumed in our acquisition of our former parent company, Comverse Technology, Inc. (“CTI”), or associated with formerly being consolidated with, and part of a consolidated tax group with, CTI; risks associated with changing accounting principles or standards, tax laws and regulations, tax rates, and the continuing availability of expected tax benefits; risks relating to the adequacy of our existing infrastructure, systems, processes, policies, procedures, internal controls, and personnel, and our ability to successfully implement and maintain enhancements to the foregoing, for our current and future operations and reporting needs, including related risks of financial statement omissions, misstatements, restatements, or filing delays; risks associated with market volatility in the prices of our common stock and convertible notes based on our performance, third-party publications or speculation, or other factors, and risks associated with actions of activist stockholders; risks associated with Apax Partners' significant ownership position and potential that its interests will not be aligned with those of our common stockholders; and risks associated with the February 1, 2021 spin-off of our former Cyber Intelligence Solutions business, including the possibility that the spin-off transaction does not achieve the benefits anticipated, does not qualify as a tax-free transaction, or exposes us to unexpected claims or liabilities. We assume no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, except as otherwise required by law. For a detailed discussion of these risk factors, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2024, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2024, and other filings we make with the SEC.

VERINT, VERINT DA VINCI, VERINT OPEN CCAAS, THE CX AUTOMATION COMPANY, THE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT COMPANY, and THE ENGAGEMENT CAPACITY GAP are trademarks of Verint Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries. Verint and other parties may also have trademark rights in other terms used herein.

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Investor Relations

Matthew Frankel, CFA

Verint Systems Inc.

(631) 962-9600

matthew.frankel@verint.com

Source: Verint Systems Inc.

FAQ

What is the total value of Verint's new stock buyback program?

Verint (VRNT) has authorized a new stock buyback program with a total value of $200 million.

When does Verint's new stock repurchase program begin and end?

Verint's new stock repurchase program is set to run from August 29, 2024, until August 29, 2026, a two-year period.

What methods may Verint use to repurchase shares under this program?

Verint may use various methods including open market purchases, accelerated stock repurchase plans, and repurchase plans compliant with Rule 10b5-1 or Rule 10b-18.

Is Verint (VRNT) obligated to repurchase a specific amount of shares?

No, Verint is not obligated to acquire any particular amount of common stock under this program. The company has the flexibility to extend, suspend, or discontinue the program at any time.