Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) Upgraded to Strong-Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Sapiens International from $30.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Sapiens International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Sapiens International from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

NASDAQ SPNS opened at $35.94 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Sapiens International has a twelve month low of $24.39 and a twelve month high of $41.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $36.61 and a 200 day moving average of $34.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.72 and a beta of 1.25.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The technology company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $136.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $137.78 million. Sapiens International had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sapiens International will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 28th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 28th. This is a boost from Sapiens International’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.28. Sapiens International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.57%.

Institutional Trading of Sapiens International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Sapiens International by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,006,523 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,130,000 after acquiring an additional 44,685 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,383 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $329,000 after buying an additional 2,444 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sapiens International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $421,000. Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Sapiens International by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,838 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $950,000 after buying an additional 7,621 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Sapiens International in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,807,000. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.