HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) Short Interest Down 22.2% in December

HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM) saw a significant decrease in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 744,111 shares, a decrease of 22.2% from the December 15th total of 956,817 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 238,827 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 238,827 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HealthStream news, EVP Kevin P. O’hara sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.26, for a total transaction of $48,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,208.98. This represents a 10.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CTO Jeff Cunningham sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total value of $50,589.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 31,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $758,570.01. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 5,680 shares of company stock worth $139,336 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HealthStream

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HealthStream during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of HealthStream by 241.4% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,407 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of HealthStream by 131.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 2,072 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of HealthStream in the second quarter worth approximately $106,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in HealthStream by 149.7% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,760 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 2,854 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

HealthStream Price Performance

NASDAQ:HSTM traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $21.81. The stock had a trading volume of 238,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 223,885. HealthStream has a 12 month low of $21.60 and a 12 month high of $34.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $647.10 million, a PE ratio of 32.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.98.

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The technology company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $76.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.52 million. HealthStream had a return on equity of 5.82% and a net margin of 6.93%. Equities analysts expect that HealthStream will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

HealthStream declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share 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 purchase up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

HealthStream Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.031 dividend. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. HealthStream’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on HSTM. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of HealthStream in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of HealthStream from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of HealthStream in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $25.00 price target on HealthStream in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.00.

About HealthStream

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.