Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) Shares Purchased by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Free Report) by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 196,545 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 36,005 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.35% of Sapiens International worth $5,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Topline Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Sapiens International in the 4th quarter valued at $24,147,000. Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of Sapiens International by 65.7% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 932,703 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $25,062,000 after buying an additional 369,947 shares during the last quarter. Nine Ten Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Nine Ten Capital Management LLC now owns 1,074,291 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,866,000 after buying an additional 155,880 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Sapiens International by 100.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 153,852 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,134,000 after acquiring an additional 77,219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Sapiens International by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 659,524 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $17,721,000 after acquiring an additional 64,972 shares during the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sapiens International Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SPNS traded up $0.03 on Friday, hitting $28.36. 144,065 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 155,024. The firm's 50-day moving average is $27.03 and its 200 day moving average is $28.07. The company has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98 and a beta of 0.95. Sapiens International Co. has a 1-year low of $23.69 and a 1-year 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.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The technology company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.02. Sapiens International had a net margin of 13.31% and a return on equity of 17.42%. The firm had revenue of $136.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. Sapiens International's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This is an increase from Sapiens International's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 7th. Sapiens International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SPNS shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut Sapiens International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sapiens International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $34.25.

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.