Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Short Interest Up 27.1% in March

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of 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. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 179,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Sapiens International Price Performance

NASDAQ SPNS traded down $1.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $25.65. 170,126 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 153,331. Sapiens International has a 1-year low of $25.01 and a 1-year high of $41.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.24. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $27.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.81. The company has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Remove Ads

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 given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Sapiens International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sapiens International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sapiens International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Sapiens International by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 659,524 shares of the technology company's stock worth $17,721,000 after acquiring an additional 64,972 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in Sapiens International by 99.0% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 40,534 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 20,162 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Sapiens International by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 37,851 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 3,016 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sapiens International during the fourth quarter worth $310,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 10,046 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 2,594 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.