Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) Stock Rating Lowered by Jefferies Financial Group

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) was downgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $28.00 target price on the technology company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $36.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 4.91% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on SPNS. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Sapiens International from $38.00 to $30.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of Sapiens International from $44.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Sapiens International in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Sapiens International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Sapiens International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SPNS opened at $26.69 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $26.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Sapiens International has a 1-year low of $25.01 and a 1-year high of $41.22.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The technology company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $137.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.10 million. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.61% and a net margin of 13.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sapiens International will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Sapiens International by 100.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 153,852 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,134,000 after buying an additional 77,219 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Sapiens International during the fourth quarter worth $262,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Sapiens International by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,400 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Sapiens International by 171.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,356 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the period. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in shares of Sapiens International by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 234,297 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,338,000 after purchasing an additional 28,512 shares during the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.