Highbridge Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED)

Highbridge Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 381,123 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 58,223 shares during the quarter. Amedisys comprises about 1.3% of Highbridge Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Highbridge Capital Management LLC owned 1.16% of Amedisys worth $34,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMED. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Amedisys by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,216,120 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $291,992,000 after acquiring an additional 10,817 shares during the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in Amedisys by 9.5% during the third quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC now owns 1,118,802 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $107,976,000 after purchasing an additional 97,476 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Amedisys during the fourth quarter worth about $83,061,000. Alpine Associates Management Inc. lifted its stake in Amedisys by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Alpine Associates Management Inc. now owns 888,120 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $80,632,000 after purchasing an additional 27,403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Amedisys in the 4th quarter worth about $72,970,000. 94.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Amedisys Price Performance

AMED opened at $92.90 on Friday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $92.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.50. The firm has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.87, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.76. Amedisys, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.15 and a 1 year high of $98.95.

Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.09). Amedisys had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The company had revenue of $598.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $602.38 million. As a group, analysts predict that Amedisys, Inc. will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Amedisys in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amedisys presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $101.00.

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.