HealthStream, Inc. $HSTM Stake Lowered by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) by 2.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,985,082 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 75,887 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of HealthStream worth $84,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in HealthStream by 241.4% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,407 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,702 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in HealthStream during the second quarter valued at approximately $106,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of HealthStream by 149.7% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,760 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 2,854 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in HealthStream by 14.9% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 5,843 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System bought a new position in HealthStream in the 3rd quarter worth $203,000. Institutional investors own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Jeff Cunningham sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total transaction of $50,589.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 31,489 shares in the company, valued at $758,570.01. This trade represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kevin P. O’hara sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.26, for a total value of $48,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $397,208.98. This represents a 10.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 20.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

HealthStream Price Performance

Shares of HSTM stock opened at $21.89 on Friday. HealthStream, Inc. has a one year low of $19.50 and a one year high of $34.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $21.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.66. The stock has a market cap of $649.48 million, a P/E ratio of 35.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.45.

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The technology company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.02. HealthStream had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 5.98%. The company had revenue of $79.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $76.21 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that HealthStream, Inc. will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

HealthStream declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 1.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

HealthStream Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.035 per share. This is a positive change from HealthStream’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. This represents a $0.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. HealthStream’s dividend payout ratio is 19.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HSTM shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded HealthStream from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of HealthStream in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of HealthStream in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of HealthStream from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HealthStream has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.00.

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.