Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $94,000 Position in Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPOK)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPOK) by 30.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,868 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Spok were worth $94,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Spok by 67.9% in the 4th 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 holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Spok in the fourth quarter worth $183,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Spok in the fourth quarter valued at $1,253,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Spok by 57.8% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,546 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031 shares during the last quarter. 50.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Spok

In other Spok news, COO Michael W. Wallace sold 6,000 shares of Spok stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.53, for a total transaction of $99,180.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 61,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,011,222.75. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Vincent D. Kelly sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.40, for a total transaction 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 approximately $2,588,198.80. This represents a 15.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Spok from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. B. Riley upgraded Spok to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st.

Spok Trading Down 2.0%

NASDAQ:SPOK opened at $15.87 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.16. Spok Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.55 and a 12 month high of $17.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $326.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.74 and a beta of 0.51.

Spok (NASDAQ:SPOK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.07. The business 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%. Equities analysts predict that Spok Holdings, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spok Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.3125 dividend. This represents a $1.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Spok’s dividend payout ratio is currently 160.26%.

Spok Profile

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.