Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 678 Shares of Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS)

Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its stake in Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,913 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 678 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Sapiens International were worth $320,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in shares of Sapiens International in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Sapiens International by 171.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,356 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in Sapiens International by 57.9% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,945 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in Sapiens International during the third quarter worth $230,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sapiens International during the third quarter worth $231,000. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Sapiens International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut Sapiens International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Sapiens International in a research note on Wednesday. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Sapiens International in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut 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 given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Sapiens International Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SPNS opened at $27.95 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $26.77 and a 200-day moving average of $31.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67 and a beta of 1.16. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $25.01 and a 52-week high of $41.22.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The technology company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $134.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.89 million. Sapiens International had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 13.31%. On average, equities analysts predict that Sapiens International Co. will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.