Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Short Interest Up 28.7% in February

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 248,300 shares, an increase of 28.7% from the February 13th total of 193,000 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 185,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on SPNS shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Sapiens International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, William Blair restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Friday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sapiens International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SPNS traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $27.03. 258,549 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 150,207. Sapiens International has a 12 month low of $25.01 and a 12 month high of $41.22. The company's 50 day moving average price is $26.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.95 and a beta of 1.16.

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Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $134.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.89 million. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 13.31%. As a group, analysts predict that Sapiens International will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in shares of Sapiens International by 451.9% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,131,426 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $42,168,000 after purchasing an additional 926,405 shares during the last quarter. Topline Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Sapiens International in the 4th quarter valued at $24,147,000. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in Sapiens International by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 932,703 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $25,062,000 after buying an additional 369,947 shares in the last quarter. Nine Ten Capital Management LLC increased its position in Sapiens International by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Nine Ten Capital Management LLC now owns 1,074,291 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,866,000 after buying an additional 155,880 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Sapiens International by 100.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 153,852 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,134,000 after buying an additional 77,219 shares during the period. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Sapiens International

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.