National Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRC) Short Interest Update

National Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 471,736 shares, a growth of 33.7% from the January 29th total of 352,823 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 175,372 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 175,372 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Research

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Research in the second quarter worth $403,000. Willis Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of National Research by 175.2% during the 2nd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 180,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,041,000 after buying an additional 115,221 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of National Research by 319.2% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 147,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,477,000 after buying an additional 112,251 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Research by 26.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 46,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $780,000 after buying an additional 9,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in National Research by 86.2% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,383,000 after buying an additional 93,262 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.26% of the company’s stock.

National Research Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ NRC traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $13.12. 68,211 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 105,126. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.31. National Research has a 1 year low of $9.76 and a 1 year high of $22.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $297.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day moving average of $17.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.81.

National Research (NASDAQ:NRC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $35.19 million during the quarter. National Research had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 94.57%.

National Research Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. National Research’s payout ratio is currently 128.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of National Research from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

About National Research

National Research Corp (NASDAQ: NRC), also known as NRC Health, is a healthcare analytics and performance improvement company specializing in patient and employee experience measurement. The company’s cloud-based platform enables healthcare providers to collect real-time feedback through patient satisfaction surveys, post-discharge outreach, and employee engagement tools. NRC Health integrates clinical, operational and financial data to deliver actionable insights that support quality improvement initiatives and value-based care programs.

Since its founding in the early 1990s and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, National Research has expanded beyond its regional roots to serve more than 1,600 hospitals and 12,000 care sites across the United States and Canada.