HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The technology company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.02, Zacks reports. HealthStream had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 5.82%.

HealthStream Price Performance

HSTM traded up $0.89 on Monday, reaching $21.24. 702,896 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 350,183. HealthStream has a fifty-two week low of $19.50 and a fifty-two week high of $34.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $630.15 million, a PE ratio of 31.24, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $22.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.93.

HealthStream declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, November 11th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction, the chief technology officer owned 31,489 shares in the company, valued at $758,570.01. This trade represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Tate Deborah Taylor sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.46, for a total transaction of $40,226.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $588,813.42. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,680 shares of company stock valued at $139,336. Corporate insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HealthStream

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in HealthStream by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 151,691 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,500,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC purchased a new position in HealthStream during the fourth quarter worth approximately $721,000. Numerai GP LLC boosted its stake in HealthStream by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 77,026 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,777,000 after buying an additional 9,339 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in HealthStream by 188.2% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 64,507 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after buying an additional 42,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc increased its stake in shares of HealthStream by 177.0% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 50,718 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 32,406 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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