Altshuler Shaham Ltd Grows Stock Position in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Altshuler Shaham Ltd increased its position in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 585.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 113,247 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,719 shares during the period. Sapiens International accounts for about 0.2% of Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Altshuler Shaham Ltd owned about 0.21% of Sapiens International worth $3,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sapiens International by 8.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,295,832 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $36,841,000 after acquiring an additional 106,358 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sapiens International by 284.9% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 785,265 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $22,301,000 after buying an additional 581,272 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Sapiens International by 71.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 186,904 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,314,000 after buying an additional 77,978 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC increased its position in Sapiens International by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 117,044 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,387,000 after acquiring an additional 28,938 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Sapiens International by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,313 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,337,000 after acquiring an additional 21,375 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sapiens International Stock Up 1.9 %

NASDAQ:SPNS traded up $0.64 on Thursday, hitting $34.16. 145,874 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 128,644. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 29.71 and a beta of 1.17. Sapiens International Co. has a 1 year low of $22.70 and a 1 year high of $35.33.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The technology company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $130.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $130.85 million. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 12.14%. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.31 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th were issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 4th. This is a boost from Sapiens International’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.26. This represents a yield of 1.7%. Sapiens International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Sapiens International 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.