Foundry Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Foundry Partners LLC grew its stake in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 32.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 117,044 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 28,938 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Sapiens International worth $3,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SPNS. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sapiens International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sapiens International by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 3,841 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $109,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sapiens International in the 3rd quarter valued at $133,000. MQS Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sapiens International during the 3rd quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sapiens International during the 3rd quarter valued at $254,000. Institutional investors own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Sapiens International Price Performance

Shares of Sapiens International stock opened at $30.46 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.19. Sapiens International Co. has a 12-month low of $19.91 and a 12-month high of $35.33. The firm has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of 27.20 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

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

Sapiens International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th were paid a $0.28 dividend. This is a positive change from Sapiens International’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 4th. This represents a yield of 1.7%. Sapiens International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on SPNS shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Sapiens International from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Sapiens International from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

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.