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

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

Amedisys Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMED traded down $0.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $92.60. 130,693 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 266,508. Amedisys has a 52-week low of $82.15 and a 52-week high of $98.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a 50-day moving average of $90.11 and a 200-day moving average of $93.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.73.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Amedisys during the 4th quarter valued at $83,061,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Amedisys during the 4th quarter valued at $72,970,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Amedisys by 178.3% during the 4th quarter. Pentwater Capital Management LP now owns 1,180,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $107,132,000 after purchasing an additional 756,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Amedisys by 11,621.9% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 558,197 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $50,679,000 after purchasing an additional 553,435 shares during the period. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Amedisys during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,953,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.36% of the company’s stock.

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.