Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $28.96 Million Stake in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Free Report) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,077,821 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 32,126 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.93% of Sapiens International worth $28,961,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 171.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,356 shares of the technology company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Sapiens International by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 6,635 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $178,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Sapiens International by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,108 shares of the technology company's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 1,801 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sapiens International during the 4th quarter worth about $245,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Sapiens International in the 4th quarter valued at about $262,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.73% of the company's stock.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

SPNS traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $28.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 144,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,987. The company's 50-day moving average is $27.03 and its 200-day moving average is $28.07. Sapiens International Co. has a 52 week low of $23.69 and a 52 week high of $41.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98 and a beta of 0.95. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The technology company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.02. Sapiens International had a net margin of 13.31% and a return on equity of 17.42%. The company had revenue of $136.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $136.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. Sapiens International's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Sapiens International from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Sapiens International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.