Bailard Inc. Grows Stake in Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC)

Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) by 48.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,300 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Premier were worth $409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of PINC. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Premier by 153.3% during the fourth 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 during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in Premier by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 741 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased 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 buying an additional 1,802 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Premier by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 1,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Premier in the 4th quarter valued at about $133,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.41% of the company’s stock.

Premier Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ PINC 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 price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.18. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.89 and a 12-month high of $33.58.

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

Premier Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. SVB Leerink began coverage on Premier in a research report on Monday, February 26th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $22.50 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Premier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a 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 began coverage on shares of Premier in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.15.

Premier Company Profile

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.