Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) Shares Up 6.7%

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) was up 6.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $33.48 and last traded at $33.48. Approximately 103,264 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 126,900 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.38.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SPNS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sapiens International from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Sapiens International from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sapiens International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.33.

Sapiens International Stock Up 6.8 %

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.93 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The technology company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.02. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 12.14%. The business had revenue of $130.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.85 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th were issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 4th. This is an increase from Sapiens International’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.26. Sapiens International’s payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SPNS. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sapiens International in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sapiens International during the first quarter worth about $40,000. Psagot Value Holdings Ltd. Israel acquired a new stake in shares of Sapiens International in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Sapiens International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $133,000. Finally, Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc bought a new stake in shares of Sapiens International during the first quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by 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.