Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Short Interest Update

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 315,600 shares, an increase of 27.1% from the February 28th total of 248,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 179,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SPNS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut Sapiens International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $36.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Institutional Trading of Sapiens International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Sapiens International by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,540 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Sapiens International by 415.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 54,640 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,036,000 after buying an additional 44,033 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Sapiens International by 22.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 177,878 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,630,000 after acquiring an additional 32,780 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC raised its position in Sapiens International by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 6,635 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sapiens International during the third quarter valued at $231,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Sapiens International Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of SPNS stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $27.78. 22,467 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 152,701. The stock has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $27.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.92. Sapiens International has a 1 year low of $25.01 and a 1 year high of $41.22.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The technology company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $134.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.89 million. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 13.31%. Research analysts predict that Sapiens International will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This is a boost from Sapiens International’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. Sapiens International’s payout ratio is currently 46.51%.

Sapiens International Company Profile

Sapiens International Corporation N.V. provides software solutions for the insurance industry in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company provides various solutions for property and casualty commercial and personal lines, life and pensions, and reinsurance fields.