Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $24.02 and last traded at $24.65, with a volume of 128722 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.99.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Sapiens International Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19 and a beta of 1.10. 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's 50-day moving average is $27.05 and its 200-day moving average is $29.29.

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Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The technology company reported $0.36 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $135.89 million. Sapiens International had a net margin of 13.31% and a return on equity of 17.42%. Equities analysts predict that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. This is a boost from Sapiens International's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.2%. Sapiens International's dividend payout ratio is 46.51%.

Institutional Trading of Sapiens International

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

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.