National Research (NASDAQ:NRC) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• National Research shares reached a new 52-week high, trading around $25.08 after a previous close of $24.07.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.21 versus $0.18 forecast and revenue of $38.4 million versus $35.8 million expected. Analysts’ consensus rating is Hold, with a $27 price target.
• National Research declared a quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 2.5%; its reported payout ratio is 228.57%.

Shares of National Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $25.00 and last traded at $25.0750, with a volume of 31,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.07.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on shares of National Research from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded National Research from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of National Research from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of National Research to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.00.

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 firm has a market capitalization of $592.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.91 and a beta of 0.22. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $21.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.24.

National Research (NASDAQ:NRC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.03. National Research had a return on equity of 171.97% and a net margin of 4.48%. The business had revenue of $38.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.80 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that National Research Corporation will post 0.97 EPS for the current year.

National Research Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 29th. National Research's payout ratio is 228.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Research

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Simplex Trading LLC grew its stake in National Research by 556.4% in the third quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 3,282 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 2,782 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in National Research in the first quarter worth $180,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in National Research in the 1st quarter worth $226,000. Empirical Finance LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Research during the second quarter valued at about $431,000. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. bought a new position in National Research in the 3rd quarter worth about $538,000. Institutional investors own 47.26% of the company's stock.

National Research Company Profile

National Research Corporation, formerly traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol NRC, provides research, analytics and performance-improvement services to the health care industry. Through its NRC Health business, the company helps hospitals, health systems and other care organizations understand and improve patient, consumer and employee experiences.

Its offerings have included patient and employee surveys, market research, reputation management, loyalty and engagement programs, benchmarking, and software tools that turn feedback and other data into operational insights.

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