Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Takes $205,000 Position in Premier, Inc. $PINC

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. acquired a $205,000 stake in Premier, Inc. during Q2, as per SEC filings. Other institutional investors like Prudential Financial and American Century Companies also increased their holdings. Analysts have given Premier a 'Reduce' rating with a consensus target price of $26.46. Insider trading activities were reported, with shares sold by Director John T. Bigalke and insider Andy Brailo. Premier's stock is trading at $28.26, with a market cap of $2.33 billion.

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 9,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

Mitigate Risk in Your Portfolio with These 2 Stocks

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in Premier by 5.2% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 93,875 shares of the company's stock worth $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 4,613 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Premier by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,100,474 shares of the company's stock worth $67,993,000 after purchasing an additional 208,764 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Premier by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 274,385 shares of the company's stock worth $6,017,000 after purchasing an additional 19,383 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Premier by 62.3% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 413,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,059,000 after purchasing an additional 158,642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Premier by 19.9% during the second quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 398,967 shares of the company's stock worth $8,749,000 after buying an additional 66,313 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Premier from $25.00 to $28.25 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Premier from $22.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Bank of America increased their price target on Premier from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on Premier from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Premier from $26.00 to $28.25 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $26.46.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on PINC

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John T. Bigalke sold 1,137 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.79, for a total transaction of $29,323.23. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,536 shares in the company, valued at $710,153.44. This represents a 3.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andy Brailo sold 6,521 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.79, for a total transaction of $168,176.59. Following the transaction, the insider owned 99,447 shares in the company, valued at $2,564,738.13. This represents a 6.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Premier Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ PINC opened at $28.26 on Monday. Premier, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.23 and a 1-year high of $28.79. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $28.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.99. The company has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of -104.67 and a beta of 0.64.

Premier (NASDAQ:PINC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 14th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Premier had a positive return on equity of 6.84% and a negative net margin of 3.28%.The firm had revenue of ($713.06) million during the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that Premier, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current year.

Premier Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Should You Invest $1,000 in Premier Right Now?

Before you consider Premier, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Premier wasn't on the list.

While Premier currently has a Reduce rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here