National Research (NASDAQ:NRC) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• National Research shares moved above their 200-day moving average, reaching $21.82 and closing near $21.19, compared with a 200-day average of $18.24.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Citizens JMP raised its price target to $26 with an outperform rating, while other services downgraded the stock. The overall consensus is “Hold” with a $26 average target.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.31 in EPS and $35.39 million in revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.16, equivalent to a 3.0% yield.

National Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRC - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $18.24 and traded as high as $21.82. National Research shares last traded at $21.19, with a volume of 142,811 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on National Research from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded National Research from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered National Research from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Research presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $26.00.

National Research Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.13, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $481.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.76 and a beta of 0.34. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $20.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.24.

National Research (NASDAQ:NRC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.46. National Research had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 164.26%. The company had revenue of $35.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.90 million.

National Research Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Friday, September 25th will be issued a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. National Research's dividend payout ratio is currently 256.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Research

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Research by 374.3% in the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 237,147 shares of the company's stock worth $4,027,000 after buying an additional 187,147 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 93,262 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of National Research during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,531,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Research by 394.2% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 52,411 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after acquiring an additional 41,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of National Research by 180.8% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 49,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $627,000 after acquiring an additional 31,599 shares in the last quarter. 47.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Research Company Profile

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.

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