Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC Buys 365 Shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,206 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Sapiens International were worth $143,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Sapiens International by 42.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 37,774 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,093,000 after acquiring an additional 11,164 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Sapiens International by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,006,523 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,130,000 after buying an additional 44,685 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Sapiens International by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,383 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $329,000 after acquiring an additional 2,444 shares in the last quarter. Psagot Value Holdings Ltd. Israel purchased a new position in shares of Sapiens International in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Torray Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Sapiens International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 43,754 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,266,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Sapiens International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SPNS traded down $0.54 on Friday, hitting $34.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 58,611 shares, compared to its average volume of 89,530. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $36.54 and a 200-day moving average of $33.62. The company has a market capitalization of $1.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.82 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16. Sapiens International Co. has a 12-month low of $24.39 and a 12-month high of $41.22.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The technology company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.01. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 12.92%. The business had revenue of $136.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $137.78 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 28th will be given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 28th. This is a positive change from Sapiens International’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.28. This represents a yield of 1.6%. Sapiens International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on SPNS. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Sapiens International from $30.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sapiens International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd.

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.