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

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 254,700 shares, a drop of 16.8% from the November 30th total of 306,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 144,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sapiens International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SPNS. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in Sapiens International during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in Sapiens International by 57.9% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,945 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sapiens International by 9.5% in the second quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 4,206 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sapiens International during the 3rd quarter valued at $230,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sapiens International in the 3rd quarter worth $231,000. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

SPNS traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 67,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 135,100. The company has a current ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Sapiens International has a fifty-two week low of $26.34 and a fifty-two week high of $41.22. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36 and a beta of 1.15.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 11th. The technology company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $137.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.10 million. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.61% and a net margin of 13.23%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Sapiens International will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Sapiens International in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Sapiens International from $38.00 to $30.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com cut Sapiens International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on Sapiens International from $44.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $36.00.

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.