Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 10,289 Shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS - Free Report) by 39.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,346 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,289 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.07% of Sapiens International worth $976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sapiens International by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,540 shares of the technology company's stock worth $700,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 415.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 54,640 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,036,000 after purchasing an additional 44,033 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Sapiens International by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 18,535 shares of the technology company's stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 1,263 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sapiens International by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 6,635 shares of the technology company's stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,400 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 633 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sapiens International Stock Performance

Shares of Sapiens International stock traded down $0.19 during trading on Monday, hitting $27.61. 111,571 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 154,886. Sapiens International Co. has a 1-year low of $23.69 and a 1-year high of $41.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.40 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $27.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 7th. This is a boost from Sapiens International's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.2%. Sapiens International's payout ratio is presently 46.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Sapiens International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $36.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $34.25.

About Sapiens International

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.