Short Interest in Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPOK) Decreases By 49.0%

Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPOK - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 141,500 shares, a decrease of 49.0% from the April 30th total of 277,600 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 157,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Spok Trading Down 0.1%

Spok stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 120,815. The firm has a market capitalization of $331.83 million, a PE ratio of 22.10 and a beta of 0.51. Spok has a 1 year low of $13.55 and a 1 year high of $17.96. The stock's fifty day moving average is $15.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.13.

Spok (NASDAQ:SPOK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $36.29 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.00 million. Spok had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 10.66%. On average, equities analysts expect that Spok will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spok Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.3125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.75%. Spok's payout ratio is 160.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Spok from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. B. Riley upgraded Spok to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Spok

In other news, COO Michael W. Wallace sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.53, for a total value of $99,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 61,175 shares in the company, valued at $1,011,222.75. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Vincent D. Kelly sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.40, for a total value of $492,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 157,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,198.80. This trade represents a 15.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Spok by 67.9% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 110,997 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $1,782,000 after purchasing an additional 44,896 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Spok by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 27,269 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $439,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Spok by 133.9% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 105,241 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $1,689,000 after purchasing an additional 60,256 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Spok during the fourth quarter worth $647,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Spok by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 29,927 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,978 shares in the last quarter. 50.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Spok

Spok Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiary, Spok, Inc, provides healthcare communication solutions in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. The company's products and services enhance workflows for clinicians and support administrative compliance. It delivers clinical information to care teams when and where it matters to enhance patient outcomes; and provides GenA Pager, a one-way alphanumeric pager.