Short Interest in National Research Co. (NASDAQ:NRC) Drops By 14.7%

National Research Co. (NASDAQ:NRC) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 344,700 shares, a decrease of 14.7% from the April 30th total of 404,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 98,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

National Research Stock Performance

Shares of NRC stock opened at $14.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $327.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.69 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The business has a fifty day moving average of $12.48 and a 200 day moving average of $15.39. National Research has a 1 year low of $9.76 and a 1 year high of $27.35.

National Research (NASDAQ:NRC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $33.55 million during the quarter. National Research had a return on equity of 66.52% and a net margin of 17.32%.

National Research Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. National Research’s payout ratio is currently 46.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Patrick E. Beans bought 2,500 shares of National Research stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,975.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 35,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $475,690.77. The trade was a 7.69% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 8.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Research

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NRC. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of National Research by 35.0% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,000 after buying an additional 1,893 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Research by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 1,161 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of National Research by 88.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 217,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,832,000 after buying an additional 101,957 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Research during the 4th quarter valued at about $283,000. Finally, Norden Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Research during the 4th quarter valued at about $182,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.26% of the company’s stock.

National Research Company Profile

National Research Corporation provides analytics and insights that facilitate measurement and enhancement of the patient and employee experience. Its portfolio of subscription-based solutions provides actionable information and analysis to healthcare organizations across a range of mission-critical, constituent-related elements, including patient experience, service recovery, care transitions, employee engagement, reputation management, and brand loyalty.