StockNews.com Lowers Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) to Hold

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $101.00 target price on shares of Amedisys in a report on Thursday. Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Amedisys in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Amedisys from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Amedisys presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $97.50.

Amedisys Price Performance

AMED opened at $91.79 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $92.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Amedisys has a 52 week low of $73.10 and a 52 week high of $96.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a PE ratio of -143.42, a P/E/G ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.86.

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $1.03 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 13.00%. The firm had revenue of $571.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Amedisys will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amedisys

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in Amedisys by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 9,400 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in Amedisys by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 21,958 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,024,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Bridge City Capital LLC boosted its stake in Amedisys by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 29,861 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,752,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Amedisys in the 1st quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Amedisys by 604.2% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 49,297 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,686,000 after purchasing an additional 42,297 shares during the period. 94.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.