Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) Lowered to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Amedisys in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $101.00 price target on shares of Amedisys in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Amedisys currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.75.

Amedisys Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:AMED traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $93.94. 117,182 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 414,495. The business has a 50-day moving average of $93.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 37.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.96. Amedisys has a 12-month low of $82.15 and a 12-month high of $98.95. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $594.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $597.43 million. Amedisys had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Amedisys will post 4.4 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 business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Amedisys by 108.1% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 310 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Amedisys by 56.1% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 334 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Amedisys by 68.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 348 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Amedisys by 100.0% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 386 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. 94.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.