HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The technology company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.02, Zacks reports. HealthStream had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 5.82%.

HealthStream Trading Up 4.4%

HSTM stock traded up $0.89 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $21.24. 703,938 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 350,183. HealthStream has a 12 month low of $19.50 and a 12 month high of $34.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $630.15 million, a P/E ratio of 31.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.93.

HealthStream declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 11th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSTM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of HealthStream from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $25.00 price target on HealthStream in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered HealthStream from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of HealthStream in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HealthStream has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Jeff Cunningham sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total transaction of $50,589.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 31,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $758,570.01. This trade represents a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Tate Deborah Taylor sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.46, for a total transaction of $40,226.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $588,813.42. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,680 shares of company stock valued at $139,336. 20.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSTM. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in HealthStream during the third quarter worth $40,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of HealthStream by 241.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,407 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in HealthStream during the second quarter worth about $106,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of HealthStream in the third quarter worth about $142,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of HealthStream by 101.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,241 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 2,642 shares during the last quarter. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About HealthStream

HealthStream, Inc is a Nashville, Tennessee–based provider of workforce development and learning management solutions for healthcare organizations. Since its founding in 1990, the company has focused on helping hospitals, clinics and other care providers streamline staff training, ensure regulatory compliance and monitor employee performance. HealthStream’s platform integrates online courses, skill competency assessments and credential management tools to support workforce readiness across the healthcare continuum.

The company’s core offerings include a learning management system (LMS) designed specifically for clinical and nonclinical personnel, a competency management suite that tracks skill acquisition and validation, and a content library featuring evidence-based clinical and compliance training modules.