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

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in 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. Based on an average trading volume of 179,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sapiens International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SPNS. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in Sapiens International in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Sapiens International by 171.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,356 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Sapiens International in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Sapiens International by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 6,635 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Sapiens International by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,108 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 1,801 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Sapiens International Price Performance

Sapiens International stock opened at $27.66 on Thursday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $27.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 1.16. Sapiens International has a 1 year low of $25.01 and a 1 year high of $41.22.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The technology company reported $0.36 earnings per share (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, equities research analysts anticipate that Sapiens International will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued 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 is presently 46.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.