Short Interest in Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) Increases By 37.8%

Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,260,000 shares, an increase of 37.8% from the October 15th total of 1,640,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 387,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.8 days. Currently, 7.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AMED. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Amedisys from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $101.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $101.00 target price on shares of Amedisys in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $100.67.

Amedisys Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of AMED traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $90.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 205,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 356,592. Amedisys has a 52 week low of $89.55 and a 52 week high of $98.95. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of 35.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.78. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $96.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The health services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.19). Amedisys had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The company had revenue of $587.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $586.75 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Amedisys will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amedisys

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. KBC Group NV bought a new position in shares of Amedisys in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $63,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Amedisys in the second quarter worth approximately $64,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Amedisys by 134.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 780 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Amedisys by 88.2% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Amedisys by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,190 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. 94.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Amedisys Company Profile

Amedisys, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides healthcare services in the United States. It operates through three segments: Home Health, Hospice, and High Acuity Care. The Home Health segment offers a range of services in the homes of individuals for the recovery of patients from surgery, chronic disability, or terminal illness, as well as prevents avoidable hospital readmissions through its skilled nurses; nursing services, rehabilitation therapists specialized in physical, speech, and occupational therapy; and social workers and aides for assisting its patients.