Lazard Asset Management LLC Buys 114,511 Shares of HealthStream, Inc. $HSTM

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management increased its HealthStream stake by 268.2% in the first quarter, buying 114,511 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 157,208 shares worth approximately $3.26 million. Institutional investors collectively own 69.58% of the company.
• HealthStream beat first-quarter expectations, reporting $0.20 in earnings per share versus the $0.16 consensus and revenue of $81.20 million against $79.68 million expected.
• HSTM shares opened at $28.04, near the upper end of their 52-week range, while analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $27 average price target. The company also pays a $0.14 annualized dividend, yielding about 0.5%.

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSTM - Free Report) by 268.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 157,208 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 114,511 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.54% of HealthStream worth $3,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Danske Bank A S raised its stake in HealthStream by 175.0% in the fourth quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in HealthStream by 2,035.5% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,262 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in HealthStream during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of HealthStream by 241.4% in the 2nd 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. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in HealthStream in the second quarter valued at approximately $106,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Linda Rebrovick sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total transaction of $174,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 51,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,488,541. The trade was a 10.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Kevin P. O'hara sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.08, for a total value of $72,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $505,246.56. This represents a 12.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $296,240. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

HealthStream Stock Performance

Shares of HSTM stock opened at $28.04 on Friday. HealthStream, Inc. has a one year low of $19.50 and a one year high of $30.00. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $26.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.31. The firm has a market cap of $819.33 million, a P/E ratio of 41.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.45.

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The technology company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.04. HealthStream had a return on equity of 6.47% and a net margin of 6.39%.The business had revenue of $81.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $79.68 million. As a group, research analysts predict that HealthStream, Inc. will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HealthStream Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.035 dividend. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. HealthStream's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSTM shares. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of HealthStream from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded HealthStream from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded HealthStream from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.00.

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.

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