HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $25.00.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded HealthStream from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of HealthStream in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $25.00 price target on shares of HealthStream in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of HealthStream in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

HealthStream Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:HSTM opened at $22.29 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $23.34 and its 200 day moving average is $25.59. The stock has a market cap of $661.34 million, a P/E ratio of 32.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.43. HealthStream has a 52-week low of $21.00 and a 52-week high of $34.24.

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The technology company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.03. HealthStream had a return on equity of 5.82% and a net margin of 6.93%.The business had revenue of $76.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.52 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HealthStream will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

HealthStream Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $0.031 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. HealthStream’s payout ratio is presently 17.65%.

Insider Activity at HealthStream

In related news, Director Tate Deborah Taylor sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.46, for a total value of $40,226.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $588,813.42. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 31,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $758,570.01. This represents a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 5,680 shares of company stock worth $139,336 over the last quarter. Insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HealthStream

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of HealthStream by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 887,553 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $20,476,000 after buying an additional 51,470 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in HealthStream by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 222,575 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,135,000 after acquiring an additional 34,669 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in shares of HealthStream by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 19,894 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 7,521 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in HealthStream by 40.1% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 40,524 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $935,000 after buying an additional 11,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co. increased its position in shares of HealthStream by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 12,237 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares in the last quarter. 69.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.