NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,478,529 shares, an increase of 32.1% from the January 29th total of 2,633,710 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,148,884 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 5.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 5.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,148,884 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NICE has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of NiCE from $175.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lowered their target price on NiCE from $200.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Citizens Jmp set a $200.00 price target on NiCE in a report on Friday, November 14th. Zacks Research upgraded NiCE from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on NiCE from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NiCE presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $151.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiCE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in NiCE during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC acquired a new stake in shares of NiCE during the second quarter worth about $40,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of NiCE by 65.3% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 329 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of NiCE in the second quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of NiCE in the second quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.34% of the company’s stock.

NiCE Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NICE traded up $3.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $126.86. 1,524,957 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 976,126. The stock has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.95. NiCE has a fifty-two week low of $94.65 and a fifty-two week high of $180.61. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.04.

NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The technology company reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.01. NiCE had a net margin of 20.78% and a return on equity of 18.26%. The company had revenue of $786.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.02 earnings per share. NiCE’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. NiCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.050 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.550 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that NiCE will post 9.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiCE declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 19th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to purchase up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

NiCE Company Profile

NiCE Ltd is a global software provider specializing in solutions for customer engagement, financial crime prevention, public safety, workforce optimization and border security. Its product offerings include cloud-native and on-premises platforms that leverage advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and automation to help organizations enhance customer experiences, streamline operations and ensure regulatory compliance. NiCE’s portfolio addresses the needs of contact centers, financial institutions, government agencies and enterprises across a broad range of industries.

In customer engagement, NiCE delivers tools for omnichannel interaction management, real-time and historical analytics, workforce management, and quality management.