Signaturefd LLC Boosts Stake in Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC)

Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) by 76.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,999 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,893 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Premier were worth $201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Premier by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 29,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 3,412 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Premier during the fourth quarter worth about $235,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Premier by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 27,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Premier in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,339,000. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Premier by 246.5% in the fourth quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,802 shares in the last quarter. 74.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Premier Stock Performance

Shares of Premier stock opened at $20.96 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Premier, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.89 and a 52 week high of $33.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $21.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08, a P/E/G ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.38.

Premier (NASDAQ:PINC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) 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. Research analysts forecast that Premier, Inc. will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Premier Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PINC has been the topic of a number of research reports. SVB Leerink started coverage on shares of Premier in a report on Monday, February 26th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $22.50 target price on the stock. Leerink Partnrs reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Premier in a report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Premier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Premier in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.15.

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.