Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) Director Sells $25,207.84 in Stock

Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) Director John T. Bigalke sold 1,136 shares of Premier stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.19, for a total value of $25,207.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $529,142.74. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Premier Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PINC opened at $21.61 on Monday. Premier, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.95 and a 12 month high of $23.56. The stock has a market cap of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $21.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.06.

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

Premier Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.89%. Premier’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Premier from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Benchmark lowered Premier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Premier from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 9th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Premier from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Premier from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.36.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Premier in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in Premier in the third quarter worth approximately $201,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in Premier by 32.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 154,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,081,000 after buying an additional 37,551 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in Premier by 2.4% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 20,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Premier by 70.2% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 143,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,876,000 after buying an additional 59,295 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.41% 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.