Short Interest in Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPOK) Rises By 26.3%

Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPOK) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 577,687 shares, a growth of 26.3% from the February 12th total of 457,339 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 266,382 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 266,382 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spok

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Spok by 41.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,080 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in Spok by 49.3% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Spok by 40.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,613 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the period. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP lifted its holdings in Spok by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP now owns 13,532 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $178,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in Spok by 9.3% in the second quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 10,267 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $182,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. 50.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on SPOK. B. Riley Financial cut shares of Spok from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $21.00 to $14.00 in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Spok in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Spok has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.00.

Spok Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SPOK traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $11.78. 258,999 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 213,209. Spok has a one year low of $11.68 and a one year high of $19.31. The company has a market cap of $244.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $13.11 and a 200 day moving average of $14.37.

Spok (NASDAQ:SPOK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.04). Spok had a return on equity of 10.63% and a net margin of 11.37%.The business had revenue of $33.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.60 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Spok will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spok Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.3125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.6%. Spok’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 164.47%.

Spok Company Profile

Spok, Inc is a publicly traded healthcare communications and collaboration company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The company specializes in providing secure, real-time clinical communication solutions designed to streamline workflows and enhance patient care. Serving hospitals, health systems, and other healthcare organizations across North America and selected international markets, Spok has positioned itself as a leading provider of secure messaging and nurse call integration.

Spok’s flagship offering, the Spok Care Connect platform, delivers a suite of integrated products, including secure text and voice messaging, alarm and event management, call center solutions, and digital signage.