Surgery Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGRY) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Surgery Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGRY) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.63.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SGRY. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of Surgery Partners in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup cut their price target on Surgery Partners from $43.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Barclays assumed coverage on Surgery Partners in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Surgery Partners in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Surgery Partners from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st.

Surgery Partners Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SGRY opened at $27.77 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a PE ratio of -277.70, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 2.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Surgery Partners has a 1 year low of $22.05 and a 1 year high of $45.79. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.81.

Surgery Partners (NASDAQ:SGRY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.07. Surgery Partners had a positive return on equity of 3.65% and a negative net margin of 0.43%. The company had revenue of $735.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $741.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Surgery Partners will post 0.78 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Bradley R. Owens sold 1,040 shares of Surgery Partners stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.22, for a total value of $36,628.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 73,149 shares in the company, valued at $2,576,307.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Bradley R. Owens sold 1,040 shares of Surgery Partners stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.22, for a total value of $36,628.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 73,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,576,307.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jason Eric Evans sold 5,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.08, for a total transaction of $202,762.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 419,118 shares in the company, valued at $14,702,659.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,664 shares of company stock worth $477,225 over the last three months. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Surgery Partners

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SGRY. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in Surgery Partners during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Surgery Partners in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Signaturefd LLC bought a new position in Surgery Partners in the third quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Surgery Partners by 69.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Surgery Partners by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the period.

Surgery Partners Company Profile

Surgery Partners, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a network of surgical facilities and ancillary services in the United States. The company provides ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals that offer non-emergency surgical procedures in various specialties, including orthopedics and pain management, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and general surgery.