National Research (NASDAQ:NRC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Key Points

• National Research reported quarterly EPS of $0.31, beating the consensus estimate of a $0.15 loss by $0.46. The company posted a 6.52% net margin and 122.73% return on equity.
• NRC shares rose to $22.31, near the company’s 12-month high of $23.25. The stock has a $507.4 million market capitalization, a 57.2 price-to-earnings ratio, and elevated debt-to-equity of 5.48.
• Institutional ownership stands at 47.26%, with several hedge funds increasing their positions. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $23.00 target price.

National Research (NASDAQ:NRC - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.46, Zacks reports. National Research had a return on equity of 122.73% and a net margin of 6.52%.

National Research Price Performance

Shares of NRC traded up $1.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $22.31. The stock had a trading volume of 77,542 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,681. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.48. The company has a market capitalization of $507.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.20 and a beta of 0.35. The company's 50-day moving average is $20.38 and its 200 day moving average is $18.31. National Research has a 12-month low of $11.01 and a 12-month high of $23.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NRC. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Research by 86.2% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 201,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,383,000 after purchasing an additional 93,262 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Research during the fourth quarter valued at about $938,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of National Research by 394.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 52,411 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 41,806 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of National Research by 180.8% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 49,076 shares of the company's stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 31,599 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of National Research by 99.0% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 60,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $778,000 after acquiring an additional 30,296 shares during the last quarter. 47.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on NRC. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on shares of National Research in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set a "market outperform" rating and a $23.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded National Research from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.00.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.