eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) saw a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 300,100 shares, a growth of 26.5% from the November 30th total of 237,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 215,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EHTH has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded eHealth from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group began coverage on eHealth in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $5.50 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on eHealth from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Craig Hallum upgraded eHealth from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $5.00 to $7.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.38.

eHealth Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EHTH opened at $8.70 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.87. The stock has a market cap of $257.82 million, a P/E ratio of -3.05 and a beta of 0.47. eHealth has a fifty-two week low of $3.58 and a fifty-two week high of $8.98. The company has a quick ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 3.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eHealth

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EHTH. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in eHealth by 40.7% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 12,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 3,600 shares in the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of eHealth by 3,996.8% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 12,741 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 12,430 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in eHealth by 76.6% in the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 18,392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 7,980 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of eHealth by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 30,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 6,694 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of eHealth by 15.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 38,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 5,120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.54% of the company’s stock.

About eHealth

eHealth, Inc operates a health insurance marketplace that provides consumer engagement, education, and health insurance enrollment solutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Medicare; and Employer and Individual. The Medicare segment offers sale of Medicare-related health insurance plans, which includes Medicare advantage, Medicare Supplement, and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to Medicare-eligible customers including but not limited to, dental, and vision insurance, as well as advertising program for marketing and other services.