National Research (NASDAQ:NRC) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• National Research shares crossed above their 200-day moving average, reaching $22.24 and last trading at $22.05 versus a 200-day average of $19.26.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a $26 price target; Citizens JMP recently raised its target to $26 and assigned an outperform rating.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations with $0.31 EPS and $35.39 million in revenue, while declaring a $0.16 quarterly dividend—equivalent to a 2.9% yield—despite a 256% payout ratio.

National Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRC - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $19.26 and traded as high as $22.24. National Research shares last traded at $22.05, with a volume of 72,068 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on NRC shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Research from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of National Research from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Citizens Jmp increased their price target on National Research from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Research currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.00.

National Research Stock 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 50-day moving average price of $21.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.26. The company has a market capitalization of $501.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.20 and a beta of 0.35.

National Research (NASDAQ:NRC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.15) by $0.46. National Research had a return on equity of 164.26% and a net margin of 4.18%.The firm had revenue of $35.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.90 million.

National Research Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. National Research's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 256.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Research

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NRC. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of National Research by 4.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 250,707 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,257,000 after purchasing an additional 9,730 shares in the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $4,027,000 after buying an additional 187,147 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in National Research by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 112,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,910,000 after buying an additional 3,323 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in National Research in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in National Research by 61.3% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 62,329 shares of the company's stock worth $1,058,000 after buying an additional 23,682 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.26% of the company's stock.

About National Research

National Research Corporation, doing business as NRC Health, provides research, analytics and technology solutions to the health care industry. The company helps hospitals, health systems and other care organizations understand patient and consumer perceptions, improve the care experience and strengthen relationships with the communities they serve.

Its offerings include patient and employee experience measurement, market and consumer insights, reputation management, customer relationship tools and analytics designed to support service improvement and strategic decision-making.

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