eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) Stock Rated “Reduce” by Sell-Side Analysts

Shares of eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) have received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.19.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of eHealth in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of eHealth from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on eHealth from $2.00 to $1.75 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th.

eHealth Stock Performance

Shares of eHealth stock opened at $0.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.43 million, a P/E ratio of -0.52 and a beta of 1.63. eHealth has a 52 week low of $0.58 and a 52 week high of $5.89. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $0.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.37.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The financial services provider reported ($1.18) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.84) by ($0.34). eHealth had a return on equity of 6.13% and a net margin of 5.42%. The company had revenue of $33.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.28 million. Research analysts forecast that eHealth will post 0.80 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at eHealth

In related news, Director Francis Soistman, Jr. sold 37,297 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.05, for a total value of $39,161.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,015,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,065,982.05. This represents a 3.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 94,899 shares of company stock valued at $95,893. 7.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nantahala Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in eHealth in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,624,547. Palo Alto Investors LP acquired a new stake in shares of eHealth in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,209,368. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of eHealth during the second quarter worth approximately $2,000,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of eHealth during the second quarter worth approximately $494,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of eHealth by 80.5% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 472,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $704,000 after acquiring an additional 210,716 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.54% of the company’s stock.

eHealth Company Profile

eHealth, Inc operates an online health insurance marketplace that helps consumers compare and enroll in health insurance plans. Through its digital platform and licensed insurance agents, the company provides information about plan benefits, coverage options and enrollment requirements from participating insurance carriers.

The company’s principal offerings include Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. It has also historically offered individual and family health insurance, as well as certain small-business health coverage options.