Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) Shares Acquired by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) by 96.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,906 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,921 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Premier were worth $83,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Premier by 137.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Premier during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Quarry LP increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,857 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Premier in the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.41% of the company’s stock.

Premier Stock Up 0.8 %

Premier stock opened at $21.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $21.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.45. Premier, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.95 and a 52-week high of $23.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Premier Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Premier from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Premier from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Premier from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Premier from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Premier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.36.

Insider Activity at Premier

In other Premier news, 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 111,707 shares in the company, valued at $2,444,149.16. This represents a 15.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael J. Alkire sold 17,900 shares of Premier stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.00, for a total value of $358,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 540,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,804,860. This trade represents a 3.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 74,825 shares of company stock worth $1,624,692 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

About Premier

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.