National Instruments plans to explore sale

National Instruments Corp. (NI) jumped 19% after it announced it was exploring a strategy including a sale, according to Bloomberg News.

The company, which does business as NI, has hired consultants to review a range of options, "including soliciting advice from potential acquirers and other transaction partners, some of whom have already approached the company," a statement Friday said.

NI also said it will adopt a limited-term shareholder rights plan, which expires in about a year.

NI said it is adopting a strategy that "helps ensure that all stakeholders have a fair opportunity to participate in the strategic review and provides time for the board and shareholders to make informed decisions."

Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Austin, the capital of Texas, NI is a listed company in the measurement industry (Nasdaq listing code: NATI), with more than 50 branches and offices around the world, and many System Alliance member. For more than 30 years, National Instruments (NI) has helped test, control, and design engineers and scientists solve the challenges they encounter from design, prototype, and release.