Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,020,000 shares, a drop of 18.5% from the April 30th total of 2,480,000 shares. Currently, 6.3% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 363,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.6 days.

Amedisys Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMED traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $93.89. The stock had a trading volume of 151,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 408,989. Amedisys has a twelve month low of $82.15 and a twelve month high of $98.95. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.26, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $93.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.12. Amedisys had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The business had revenue of $594.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $597.43 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. Amedisys's revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Amedisys will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amedisys

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Amedisys in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,075,000. Bluefin Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Amedisys during the first quarter worth approximately $372,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in Amedisys by 238.3% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 8,619 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $798,000 after acquiring an additional 6,071 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Amedisys by 10.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,854 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Amedisys during the first quarter worth approximately $214,000. 94.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMED has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Amedisys in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Amedisys in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Amedisys from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.75.

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.