eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) Raised to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks upgraded eHealth from a "strong sell" to a "hold," but overall analyst sentiment remains weak with an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $3.33 after several recent downgrades.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $2.06 versus a $2.38 consensus (a miss) while revenue of $326.24M beat estimates; the stock trades around $1.97 with a market cap of about $61.2M and a negative P/E.
• CFO bought 25,000 shares at $1.53 on March 6, boosting his stake by ~13.6%; insiders own 5.2% of the company while institutions hold roughly 79.5%.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on EHTH. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on eHealth from $9.00 to $3.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of eHealth in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Craig Hallum cut eHealth from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $2.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $3.33.

eHealth Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ EHTH opened at $1.97 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $1.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. eHealth has a 1-year low of $1.20 and a 1-year high of $7.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.21 million, a P/E ratio of -2.77 and a beta of 1.15.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.38 by ($0.32). eHealth had a return on equity of 5.46% and a net margin of 6.12%.The company had revenue of $326.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $318.25 million. As a group, research analysts expect that eHealth will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO John Joseph Dolan purchased 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.53 per share, for a total transaction of $38,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 208,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $319,395.15. This trade represents a 13.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of eHealth

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EHTH. Founders Financial Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eHealth in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in shares of eHealth in the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of eHealth by 1,265.8% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,186 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 10,367 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of eHealth in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eHealth in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.54% of the company's stock.

eHealth Company Profile

eHealth, Inc operates one of the largest online private health insurance exchanges in the United States. The company's platform enables consumers to compare, select and enroll in individual, family and small-group health insurance plans offered by a broad network of licensed insurance carriers. In addition to Affordable Care Act–compliant offerings, eHealth provides dedicated services for Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, helping seniors navigate the complexities of Medicare coverage.

Through its digital marketplace, eHealth delivers real-time quotes, detailed plan comparisons and enrollment processing.

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