Executives at Crane Manufacturer Buy Shares Amid Optimism about Infrastructure Spending Boost, Plus Other Insider Trading

CEO of Data Analytics Provider to Healthcare Organizations Sells 500,000 Shares

The man at the helm of National Research Corp (NASDAQ:NRCIA) offloaded a large amount of shares at the end of the previous week. Chief Executive Officer Michael D. Hays, who founded National Research in 1981, discarded a block of 500,000 Class A shares on Friday for $17.45 each. Following this transaction, the CEO currently owns an aggregate of 5.25 million Class A shares, along with an additional 1.97 million Class B shares.

The data analytics and insights provider to healthcare organization in the United States and Canada has seen the value of its shares advance by 21% in the past 12 months. The insider selling discussed above comes a few days after the release of a seemingly disappointing earnings report, as National Research Corp (NASDAQ:NRCIA)’s shares plunged following the announcement. The company reported revenue of $109.4 million for the entire 2016, up from $102.3 million recorded for 2015. Meanwhile, the bottom line rose to $20.5 million from $17.6 million. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies LLC was the owner of 127,200 shares of National Research Corp (NASDAQ:NRCIA) at the end of December.

Cluster of Insider Selling at Strong Performing Cloud Software Company

A significant number of insiders at Blackbaud Inc. (NASDAQ:BLKB) unloaded shares this past week, so let’s take a glimpse at some notable transactions. To begin with, President and CEO Michael P. Gianoni discarded 44,252 shares on Thursday at prices varying from $72.86 to $73.41 per share. Mr. Gianoni currently owns 263,261 shares after the sale. Brian E. Boruff, Executive Vice President and President of Enterprise Markets Group, sold 3,500 shares at prices between $73.30 and $73.32 per share, cutting his ownership to 44,164 shares. Chief Financial Officer Anthony W. Boor liquidated 3,004 shares on the same day at a weighted average price of $73.12 per share, a sale that trimmed his stake to 107,250 shares.

The shares of the cloud software company surged at the beginning of the month after the company released stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. The stock is 14% in the green so far in 2017. Blackbaud Inc. (NASDAQ:BLKB) reported revenue of $198.3 million for the quarter, up by 11.3% year-over-year and $3.4 million more than analysts’ projections. The company’s bottom line rose by 57% year-on-year to $28 million. Balckbaud’s business transition to a subscription-based cloud delivery model has been quite fruitful, allowing the company to boost sales and margins, as well as drive strong earning growth. Royce & Associates, founded by Chuck Royce, had roughly 168,000 shares of Blackbaud Inc. (NASDAQ:BLKB) heading into 2017.

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