HealthEquity, Inc. (NASDAQ:HQY) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

HealthEquity, Inc. (NASDAQ:HQY) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $113.54.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HQY. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on HealthEquity from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of HealthEquity from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of HealthEquity in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $108.00 target price for the company. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of HealthEquity from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Mizuho initiated coverage on HealthEquity in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $126.00 price objective on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stuart B. Parker sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.72, for a total value of $2,418,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 19,061 shares in the company, valued at $1,843,579.92. This represents a 56.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert W. Selander sold 8,250 shares of HealthEquity stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.56, for a total value of $837,870.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 66,469 shares in the company, valued at $6,750,591.64. This trade represents a 11.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 39,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,895,788. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HealthEquity

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HQY. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of HealthEquity in the third quarter worth approximately $1,246,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of HealthEquity during the 3rd quarter valued at $638,000. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in HealthEquity by 29.8% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 209,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,122,000 after buying an additional 48,009 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its stake in HealthEquity by 36.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 843,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,034,000 after buying an additional 226,563 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its holdings in HealthEquity by 2.2% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,126,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,216,000 after acquiring an additional 24,665 shares during the period. 99.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HealthEquity Stock Performance

Shares of HQY opened at $109.76 on Monday. HealthEquity has a one year low of $65.01 and a one year high of $115.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.51 billion, a PE ratio of 100.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.55.

HealthEquity (NASDAQ:HQY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by ($0.12). HealthEquity had a return on equity of 9.70% and a net margin of 8.41%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that HealthEquity will post 2.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HealthEquity Company Profile

HealthEquity, Inc provides technology-enabled services platforms to consumers and employers in the United States. The company offers cloud-based platforms for individuals to make health saving and spending decisions, pay healthcare bills, receive personalized benefit information, earn wellness incentives, grow their savings, and make investment choices; and health savings accounts.