AvePoint initiated with a Neutral at Baird

Baird analyst Shrenik Kothari initiated coverage of AvePoint (AVPT) with a Neutral rating and $17 price target The firm says AvePoint is a Microsoft-aligned data protection and governance vendor benefiting from platform adjacencies and steady execution. The Neutral rating reflects the company’s medium- and long-term diversification potential, balanced by limited near-term catalysts for outsized gains in the near term, the analyst tells investors in a research note.