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

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) saw a large increase in short interest in 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 daily trading volume, of 179,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sapiens International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in Sapiens International during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Sapiens International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sapiens International by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 6,635 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $178,000 after buying an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Sapiens International Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of SPNS stock opened at $27.66 on Thursday. Sapiens International has a 1-year low of $25.01 and a 1-year high of $41.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 2.18.

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

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This is an increase from Sapiens International’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. Sapiens International’s payout ratio is currently 46.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on SPNS. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Sapiens International in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Sapiens International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.