Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Sells 37,627 Shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership decreased its stake in shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 259,385 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 37,627 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Sapiens International were worth $6,983,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in Sapiens International in the third quarter worth $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the period. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Sapiens International in the 4th quarter valued at about $262,000. Institutional investors own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

Shares of SPNS opened at $25.65 on Monday. Sapiens International Co. has a 52 week low of $25.01 and a 52 week 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. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors 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 is a boost from Sapiens International’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a yield of 2.2%. Sapiens International’s payout ratio is 46.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SPNS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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. Barclays cut their target price on Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Sapiens International in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sapiens International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.