Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) by 15.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 495,985 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,909 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.52% of Premier worth $10,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PINC. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Premier by 109.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 468,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,933,000 after acquiring an additional 245,239 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Premier by 5.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,741,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,836,000 after purchasing an additional 97,458 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in Premier by 310.3% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 115,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,317,000 after purchasing an additional 87,601 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Premier during the third quarter worth approximately $1,414,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Premier by 26.3% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 327,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,551,000 after purchasing an additional 68,112 shares during the last quarter. 74.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Premier Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of PINC stock opened at $18.76 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.94. The company has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of -187.58 and a beta of 0.43. Premier, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.95 and a twelve month high of $23.56.

Premier Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.48%. Premier’s dividend payout ratio is presently -839.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Premier from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Premier from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut Premier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Premier from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Premier from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.50.

Insider Transactions at Premier

In other Premier news, COO Leigh Anderson sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.88, for a total transaction of $437,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 111,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,444,149.16. This trade represents a 15.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael J. Alkire sold 17,415 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.16, for a total transaction of $403,331.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 520,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,060,060.48. The trade was a 3.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 59,425 shares of company stock valued at $1,320,242. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.