Barclays PLC Increases Stake in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,586 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,946 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.10% of Sapiens International worth $1,520,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 171.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,356 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $178,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 28.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,108 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,801 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Sapiens International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $262,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sapiens International by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,400 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sapiens International Trading Up 3.1 %

NASDAQ:SPNS opened at $28.17 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $26.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.30. The stock has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Sapiens International Co. has a 12 month low of $23.69 and a 12 month high of $41.22.

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

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Sapiens International’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 7th. Sapiens International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SPNS shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Sapiens International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus 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.