Van ECK Associates Corp Has $320,000 Stake in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its stake in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,913 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 678 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Sapiens International were worth $320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in Sapiens International by 451.9% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,131,426 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $42,168,000 after purchasing an additional 926,405 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Sapiens International by 0.3% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 603,429 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $22,490,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Sapiens International by 14.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 594,552 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $22,159,000 after purchasing an additional 75,866 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in Sapiens International by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 234,297 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,338,000 after acquiring an additional 28,512 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Sapiens International by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 177,878 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,630,000 after acquiring an additional 32,780 shares during the period. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Sapiens International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays decreased their price target on Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Wednesday. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Sapiens International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sapiens International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Sapiens International Price Performance

SPNS stock opened at $27.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $26.77 and its 200-day moving average is $31.48. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $25.01 and a 1 year high of $41.22.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last released 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 company had revenue of $134.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.89 million. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 13.31%. Equities research analysts expect that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sapiens International Company 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.