Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Amedisys in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Amedisys from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $101.00 target price on shares of Amedisys in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $97.50.

Amedisys Stock Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ AMED traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $92.08. 246,626 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 208,427. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The business’s 50-day moving average is $92.36 and its 200-day moving average is $93.32. Amedisys has a twelve month low of $73.10 and a twelve month high of $96.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -143.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.84.

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.01. Amedisys had a negative net margin of 0.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.85%. The company had revenue of $571.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. Amedisys’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Amedisys will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amedisys

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AMED. Calamos Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Amedisys during the 4th quarter valued at about $23,015,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Amedisys by 181.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 63,953 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $6,079,000 after buying an additional 41,206 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Amedisys by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 35,181 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 4,299 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new position in Amedisys during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,671,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of Amedisys by 184.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 110,479 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $10,327,000 after purchasing an additional 71,705 shares during the last quarter. 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.