Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $25.15.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on shares of Premier in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $22.50 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Premier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Premier in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Premier in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Premier

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Premier by 153.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 958 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Premier by 71.7% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Premier by 141.2% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in Premier by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 741 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Premier by 246.5% during the 4th quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,802 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.41% of the company’s stock.

Premier Stock Up 0.7 %

PINC stock opened at $20.96 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Premier has a 12 month low of $18.89 and a 12 month high of $33.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $21.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.18.

Premier (NASDAQ:PINC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.02. Premier had a net margin of 12.71% and a return on equity of 11.60%. The business had revenue of $334.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $338.55 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Premier will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Premier Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, June 1st will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. Premier’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.43%.

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.