How to buy National Instruments Corporation stock | $43.2

National Instruments Corporation is a software-application business based in the US. National Instruments Corporation shares (NATI) are listed on the NASDAQ and all prices are listed in US Dollars. National Instruments Corporation employs 7,300 staff and has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$1.3 billion.

How to buy shares in National Instruments Corporation

1. Compare share trading platforms. If you're a beginner, look for a platform with low commissions, expert ratings and investment tools to track your portfolio. Narrow down top brands with our comparison table.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and bank information. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for National Instruments Corporation. Find the stock by name or ticker symbol: NATI. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until National Instruments Corporation reaches your desired price. To spread out your purchase, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of USD$43.2, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimize risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of National Instruments Corporation, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of National Instruments Corporation. Optimize your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

National Instruments Corporation share price

Use our graph to track the performance of NATI stocks over time.

National Instruments Corporation shares at a glance

• Key figures

Information last updated 2020-12-29.

Latest market close	USD$43.2
52-week range	USD$19.9746 - USD$46.5763
50-day moving average	USD$38.5906
200-day moving average	USD$36.8612
Wall St. target price	USD$37.33
PE ratio	28.6942
Dividend yield	USD$1.04 (2.4%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	USD$1.501

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Is it a good time to buy National Instruments Corporation stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of National Instruments Corporation by TradingView

This chart is not advice or a guarantee of success. Rather, it gauges the real-time recommendations of three popular technical indicators: moving averages, oscillators and pivots. Finder is not responsible for how your stock performs.

National Instruments Corporation price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the close of $43.2 from 2020-12-18

1 week (2021-01-08)	-6.35%
1 month (2020-12-16)	5.08%
3 months (2020-10-15)	18.55%
6 months (2020-07-15)	14.38%

1 year (2020-01-15)	-2.96%
2 years (2019-01-15)	-8.18%
3 years (2018-01-12)	44.31
5 years (2016-01-15)	55.40%

Is National Instruments Corporation under- or over-valued?

Valuing National Instruments Corporation stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of National Instruments Corporation's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

National Instruments Corporation's P/E ratio

National Instruments Corporation's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 29x. In other words, National Instruments Corporation shares trade at around 29x recent earnings.

That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.

National Instruments Corporation's PEG ratio

National Instruments Corporation's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 2.19. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into National Instruments Corporation's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

National Instruments Corporation's EBITDA

National Instruments Corporation's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is USD$168.7 million.

The EBITDA is a measure of a National Instruments Corporation's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

National Instruments Corporation financials

Revenue TTM	USD$1.3 billion
Operating margin TTM	9.11%
Gross profit TTM	USD$1 billion
Return on assets TTM	4.22%
Return on equity TTM	16.45%
Profit margin	15.36%
Book value	$9.442
Market capitalisation	USD$5.7 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Shorting National Instruments Corporation shares

There are currently 4.5 million National Instruments Corporation shares held short by investors – that's known as National Instruments Corporation's "short interest". This figure is 53.5% up from 2.9 million last month.

There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting National Instruments Corporation shares can be evaluated.

National Instruments Corporation's "short interest ratio" (SIR)

National Instruments Corporation's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of National Instruments Corporation shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of National Instruments Corporation shares traded daily (recently around 733777.32463295). National Instruments Corporation's SIR currently stands at 6.13. In other words for every 100,000 National Instruments Corporation shares traded daily on the market, roughly 6130 shares are currently held short.

However National Instruments Corporation's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of National Instruments Corporation shares, or, against the total number of tradable National Instruments Corporation shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case National Instruments Corporation's short interest could be expressed as 0.03% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 National Instruments Corporation shares in existence, roughly 30 shares are currently held short) or 0.0461% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable National Instruments Corporation shares, roughly 46 shares are currently held short).

A SIR below 10% would generally be considered to indicate a fairly optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against National Instruments Corporation.

Find out more about how you can short National Instruments Corporation stock.

National Instruments Corporation share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 79.39% of net profits

Recently National Instruments Corporation has paid out, on average, around 79.39% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 2.4% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), National Instruments Corporation shareholders could enjoy a 2.4% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In National Instruments Corporation's case, that would currently equate to about $1.04 per share.

National Instruments Corporation's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.

National Instruments Corporation's most recent dividend payout was on 7 December 2020. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 13 November 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have National Instruments Corporation's shares ever split?

National Instruments Corporation's shares were split on a 3:2 basis on 23 February 2011. So if you had owned 2 shares the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 3 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your National Instruments Corporation shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 33.3% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for National Instruments Corporation shares which in turn could have impacted National Instruments Corporation's share price.

National Instruments Corporation share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, National Instruments Corporation's shares have ranged in value from as little as $19.9746 up to $46.5763. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while National Instruments Corporation's is 1.0777. This would suggest that National Instruments Corporation's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

National Instruments Corporation overview

National Instruments Corporation provides a software-centric platform and systems to engineers and scientists worldwide. Its programming environments software includes NI LabVIEW, a graphical software platform to visualize hardware configuration, measurement data, and debugging of application; NI LabWindows/CVI, an ANSI C integrated development environment and engineering toolbox with built-in libraries for measurement, analysis, and engineering UI design; and NI Measurement Studio, a suite of .NET tools designed for building engineering applications in Microsoft Visual Studio to acquire, analyze, and display measurement data. The company's application software comprises NI TestStand that is used for automated test and measurement applications in a manufacturing environment; NI VeriStand, a ready-to-use software environment for configuring real-time testing applications; Flexlogger for quick sensor configuration and data logging of mixed signals to verify electromechanical systems; and NI InsightCM Enterprise, a software solution with integrated hardware options for monitoring ancillary rotating equipment. Its systems and data management software include NI DIAdem, which is configuration-based technical data management, analysis, and report generation tools to mine and analyze engineering and measurement data; and NI SystemLink, a systems management software that enables the mass coordination of connected devices, software deployments, and data communications throughout a distributed system. The company also offers PXI hardware form factor that combines PC software and PCI hardware with advanced instrumentation capabilities; NI C-series data acquisition and control products; and NI semiconductor test systems, as well as software and hardware maintenance, and training and certification services. It serves semiconductor, transportation, aerospace, and defense industries; and government agencies. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of National Instruments Corporation is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 7.811% of National Instruments Corporation shares are held by insiders and 88.799% by institutions.

• How many people work for National Instruments Corporation?

  Latest data suggests 7,300 work at National Instruments Corporation.

• When does the fiscal year end for National Instruments Corporation?

  National Instruments Corporation's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is National Instruments Corporation based?

  National Instruments Corporation's address is: 11500 North MoPac Expressway, Austin, TX, United States, 78759-3504

• What is National Instruments Corporation's ISIN number?

  National Instruments Corporation's international securities identification number is: US6365181022

• What is National Instruments Corporation's CUSIP number?

  National Instruments Corporation's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 636518102