Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Short Interest Update

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 248,300 shares, an increase of 28.7% from the February 13th total of 193,000 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 185,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sapiens International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in Sapiens International during the third quarter worth $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Sapiens International during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sapiens International in the third quarter worth $231,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 6,635 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $178,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Sapiens International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Sapiens International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays dropped their price target on Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Sapiens International in a research note on Friday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Sapiens International Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:SPNS traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $27.78. The stock had a trading volume of 31,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 190,986. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $26.83 and a 200 day moving average of $30.61. The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.49 and a beta of 1.16. Sapiens International has a one year low of $25.01 and a one year high of $41.22.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The technology company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $134.31 million during 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sapiens International will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

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.