Marshall Wace LLP Decreases Position in Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED)

Marshall Wace LLP cut its holdings in shares of Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED - Free Report) by 43.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 194,603 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 147,343 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.59% of Amedisys worth $17,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMED. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Amedisys by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,216,120 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $291,992,000 after purchasing an additional 10,817 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Amedisys during the fourth quarter valued at $83,061,000. Alpine Associates Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Amedisys by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Alpine Associates Management Inc. now owns 888,120 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $80,632,000 after acquiring an additional 27,403 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Amedisys in the 4th quarter worth $72,970,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Amedisys by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 677,787 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $61,536,000 after acquiring an additional 13,587 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.36% of the company's stock.

Amedisys Stock Performance

Shares of AMED traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $94.50. The company had a trading volume of 361,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 405,577. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.89. Amedisys, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.15 and a 52-week high of $98.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $92.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.12. The business 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%. On average, analysts expect that Amedisys, Inc. will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AMED. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Amedisys in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Amedisys in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus 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.