eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) Short Interest Update

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,898,345 shares, an increase of 16.9% from the March 31st total of 1,624,164 shares. Currently, 6.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 557,480 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Craig Hallum cut eHealth from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $2.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on eHealth from $9.00 to $3.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded eHealth from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $3.33.

eHealth Stock Performance

Shares of EHTH stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $2.04. 257,494 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 527,673. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.32 million, a PE ratio of -2.87 and a beta of 1.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.06. eHealth has a twelve month low of $1.20 and a twelve month high of $7.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $326.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $318.25 million. eHealth had a return on equity of 5.46% and a net margin of 6.12%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that eHealth will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO John Joseph Dolan bought 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.53 per share, for a total transaction of $38,250.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 208,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $319,395.15. This trade represents a 13.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eHealth

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of eHealth by 54.6% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 261,853 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $338,000 after buying an additional 92,500 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of eHealth in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of eHealth in the fourth quarter valued at about $62,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. bought a new position in eHealth during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in eHealth by 1,265.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 10,367 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.54% of the company’s stock.

About eHealth

eHealth, Inc operates one of the largest online private health insurance exchanges in the United States. The company’s platform enables consumers to compare, select and enroll in individual, family and small-group health insurance plans offered by a broad network of licensed insurance carriers. In addition to Affordable Care Act–compliant offerings, eHealth provides dedicated services for Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, helping seniors navigate the complexities of Medicare coverage.

Through its digital marketplace, eHealth delivers real-time quotes, detailed plan comparisons and enrollment processing.