Astrana Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTH) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Astrana Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTH) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,640,000 shares, a growth of 5.1% from the November 15th total of 1,560,000 shares. Approximately 4.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 299,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.5 days.

Astrana Health Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ASTH traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $36.70. 8,970 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 212,057. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.13. Astrana Health has a 52 week low of $34.11 and a 52 week high of $63.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 1.91.

Astrana Health (NASDAQ:ASTH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33. Astrana Health had a return on equity of 9.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The company had revenue of $478.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $462.01 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Astrana Health will post 1.16 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ASTH shares. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Astrana Health in a report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. TD Cowen began coverage on Astrana Health in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $66.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Astrana Health from $67.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their price target on Astrana Health from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $65.17.

Institutional Trading of Astrana Health

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrana Health in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,164,000. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in Astrana Health during the 3rd quarter worth $6,661,000. Amalgamated Bank acquired a new position in Astrana Health in the 3rd quarter valued at $713,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Astrana Health during the 3rd quarter valued at $13,383,000. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrana Health during the 3rd quarter worth $8,245,000. Institutional investors own 52.77% of the company’s stock.

Astrana Health Company Profile

Astrana Health, Inc, Inc, a physician-centric technology-powered healthcare management company, provides medical care services in the United States. It operates through three segments: Care Partners, Care Delivery, and Care Enablement. The company is leveraging its proprietary population health management and healthcare delivery platform, operates an integrated, value-based healthcare model which empowers the providers in its network to deliver care to its patients.