Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 500,604 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 45% from the previous session’s volume of 346,021 shares.The stock last traded at $91.40 and had previously closed at $92.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMED has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Amedisys from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $101.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Amedisys in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Amedisys has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.67.

Amedisys Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $96.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 35.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.78.

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The health services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.19). Amedisys had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 3.57%. The company had revenue of $587.67 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $586.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Amedisys, Inc. will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amedisys

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AMED. Alpine Associates Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Amedisys by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Alpine Associates Management Inc. now owns 1,280,897 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $117,586,000 after buying an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Amedisys by 4.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 514,166 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $47,202,000 after acquiring an additional 19,660 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Amedisys by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 397,347 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $36,476,000 after purchasing an additional 41,220 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Amedisys by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 346,082 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,400,000 after purchasing an additional 9,004 shares during the period. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Amedisys by 34.7% in the 2nd quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC now owns 323,200 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $29,670,000 after purchasing an additional 83,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.