Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,550,000 shares, a growth of 7.1% from the January 15th total of 2,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 525,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.8 days. Approximately 8.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Amedisys Stock Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ:AMED opened at $92.60 on Tuesday. Amedisys has a 12-month low of $82.15 and a 12-month high of $98.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.54.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMED. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Amedisys by 55.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 349 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Amedisys during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Amedisys by 68.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 450 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Amedisys during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, KBC Group NV bought a new position in Amedisys during the third quarter worth about $63,000. 94.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $101.00 target price on shares of Amedisys in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.75.

About Amedisys

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.