Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 163,300 shares, a drop of 35.4% from the January 15th total of 252,800 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 209,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sapiens International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPNS. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 44,033 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position 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 last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sapiens International in the 3rd quarter worth about $231,000. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 47.2% in the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 72,491 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 23,249 shares during the period. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

Shares of Sapiens International stock traded down $0.46 on Monday, reaching $26.39. 114,241 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 253,687. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.78 and a beta of 1.16. 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 2.18. The company's 50-day moving average is $26.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SPNS. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $38.00 to $30.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Sapiens International in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Sapiens International from $44.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Sapiens International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sapiens International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $34.00.

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.