HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) CEO Robert Frist, Jr. Sells 144,068 Shares

HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) CEO Robert Frist, Jr. sold 144,068 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.50, for a total value of $4,250,006.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,907,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $115,257,621. This trade represents a 3.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

HealthStream Stock Performance

Shares of HSTM opened at $29.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $866.37 million, a P/E ratio of 41.18, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.44. HealthStream, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.50 and a twelve month high of $31.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $28.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.08.

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The technology company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $83.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.82 million. HealthStream had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 6.60%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HealthStream, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HealthStream Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a dividend of $0.035 per share. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. HealthStream’s payout ratio is currently 19.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on HSTM. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on shares of HealthStream from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of HealthStream from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised HealthStream from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HealthStream

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in HealthStream in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of HealthStream by 76.4% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,025 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of HealthStream during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Essential Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of HealthStream in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of HealthStream by 2,035.5% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,262 shares during the period. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting HealthStream

Here are the key news stories impacting HealthStream this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Growth capital and strategic investment: HealthStream issued 1.355 million shares to WJRJJ Ventures for approximately $40 million at $29.50 per share. The investment provides capital to support expansion and may bring a significant, governance-conscious shareholder to the company. WJRJJ acquired 1.5 million shares in total when including shares purchased from CEO Robert Frist Jr. HealthStream Completes $40 Million Private Placement of Its Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Platform expansion and customer partnership: HealthStream launched its hStream platform and announced a partnership with Ardent Health, developments that could increase adoption of its healthcare workforce technology and support longer-term revenue growth. HealthStream launches hStream platform, partners with Ardent Health
• Neutral Sentiment: Enterprise category positioning: The company is promoting an “Enterprise Clinical Workforce Platform” category alongside traditional EHR and ERP systems. The initiative could improve HealthStream’s market positioning, although its financial impact remains unquantified. HealthStream Defines a New Enterprise Category
• Positive Sentiment: Extended liquidity: HealthStream amended its revolving credit facility, extending access to liquidity and giving the company additional financial flexibility. HealthStream Amends Revolving Credit Facility
• Negative Sentiment: CEO share sale and dilution: CEO Robert Frist Jr. sold 144,068 shares for approximately $4.25 million, reducing his ownership by 3.56%. The company-issued shares in the private placement will modestly dilute existing shareholders, although Frist continues to own roughly 3.9 million shares. SEC filing on Robert Frist Jr. share sale

HealthStream Company Profile

HealthStream, Inc provides workforce and provider solutions designed for healthcare organizations. Its cloud-based offerings help hospitals, health systems and other healthcare providers manage employee training, education, credentialing, compliance and professional development.

The company’s products and services include learning and talent-management tools, provider credentialing and enrollment solutions, performance assessment, clinical development resources, and patient-experience measurement services.