Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Position Boosted by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Free Report) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 653,603 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,700 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 1.17% of Sapiens International worth $17,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in shares of Sapiens International in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 171.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,356 shares of the technology company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sapiens International by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 6,635 shares of the technology company's stock worth $178,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sapiens International by 28.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,108 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 1,801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Sapiens International during the 4th quarter valued at $262,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.73% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SPNS shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Sapiens International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.50.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SPNS traded up $0.11 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.24. 94,731 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 150,962. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.34 and a beta of 1.10. Sapiens International Co. has a 12 month low of $23.69 and a 12 month high of $41.22. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.01 and a 200-day moving average of $29.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 2.18.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The technology company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $134.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.89 million. Sapiens International had a net margin of 13.31% and a return on equity of 17.42%. On average, equities analysts expect that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

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

Sapiens International 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.