Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,403,258 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 2.51% of Sapiens International worth $37,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SPNS. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in Sapiens International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 171.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,356 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Sapiens International by 28.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,108 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 1,801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Sapiens International in the 4th quarter valued at $262,000. 30.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

Shares of SPNS stock opened at $26.04 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.23. Sapiens International Co. has a one year low of $23.69 and a one 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 2.24.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The technology company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.01). Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 13.31%. The firm had revenue of $134.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.89 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 payout ratio is presently 46.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SPNS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced 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 issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of Sapiens International in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Sapiens International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Sapiens International 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.