Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) Position Boosted by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) by 96.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,906 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,921 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Premier were worth $83,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Premier by 137.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Premier during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Premier by 576.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,857 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Premier during the second quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Premier by 37.0% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. 74.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Premier Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Premier stock opened at $21.55 on Friday. Premier, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.95 and a 12-month high of $23.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $21.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 0.43.

Premier (NASDAQ:PINC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $248.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $232.85 million. Premier had a net margin of 11.41% and a return on equity of 10.74%. Premier’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Premier, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Premier Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.90%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Premier’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PINC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Premier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Premier from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays raised their target price on Premier from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Premier from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Premier from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.36.

Insider Transactions at Premier

In other Premier news, Director John T. Bigalke sold 1,136 shares of Premier stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.19, for a total value of $25,207.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $529,142.74. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Leigh Anderson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.88, for a total value of $437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 111,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,444,149.16. This trade represents a 15.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 74,825 shares of company stock worth $1,624,692. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Premier Company Profile

Premier, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a healthcare improvement company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Supply Chain Services and Performance Services. The Supply Chain Services segment offers its members with an access to a range of products and services, including medical and surgical products, pharmaceuticals, laboratory supplies, capital equipment, information technology, facilities and construction, and food and nutritional products, as well as purchased services, such as clinical engineering and workforce solutions.