HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) Short Interest Update

HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,318,705 shares, an increase of 37.9% from the January 29th total of 956,163 shares. Currently, 5.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 427,006 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 427,006 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 5.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Jeff Cunningham sold 2,100 shares of the 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 sale, the chief technology officer 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. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kevin P. O’hara sold 2,000 shares of HealthStream stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.26, for a total value of $48,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,208.98. This represents a 10.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 20.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HealthStream

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of HealthStream by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 151,691 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,500,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in HealthStream during the fourth quarter worth approximately $721,000. Numerai GP LLC increased its holdings in HealthStream by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 77,026 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,777,000 after purchasing an additional 9,339 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in HealthStream by 188.2% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 64,507 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 42,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc lifted its stake in HealthStream by 177.0% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 50,718 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 32,406 shares during the period. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HSTM shares. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of HealthStream in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of HealthStream from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of HealthStream in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of HealthStream from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $25.00.

HealthStream Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ HSTM traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $21.37. 280,800 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 353,535. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $21.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.76. The stock has a market cap of $634.05 million, a P/E ratio of 35.03, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.45. HealthStream has a one year low of $19.50 and a one year high of $34.13.

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The technology company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $79.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.21 million. HealthStream had a return on equity of 5.98% and a net margin of 6.03%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that HealthStream will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

HealthStream Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.035 dividend. This is an increase from HealthStream’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. HealthStream’s payout ratio is currently 19.67%.

HealthStream declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 11th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to buy up to 1.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

HealthStream Company Profile

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.