eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) Short Interest Update

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,617,072 shares, a growth of 29.1% from the February 26th total of 1,252,362 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,256,558 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days. Approximately 5.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO John Joseph Dolan bought 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.53 per share, for a total transaction of $38,250.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 208,755 shares in the company, valued at $319,395.15. This represents a 13.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of eHealth

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nantahala Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in eHealth by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 1,761,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,592,000 after acquiring an additional 450,000 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of eHealth by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,526,098 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,577,000 after purchasing an additional 4,958 shares during the last quarter. Findell Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of eHealth by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Findell Capital Management LLC now owns 1,408,975 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,481,000 after purchasing an additional 183,975 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of eHealth by 101.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 711,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 358,192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of eHealth by 74.3% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 705,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,714,000 after purchasing an additional 300,792 shares during the last quarter. 79.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on EHTH. Zacks Research cut eHealth from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Craig Hallum lowered shares of eHealth from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $2.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of eHealth in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of eHealth from $9.00 to $3.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $3.33.

eHealth Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:EHTH traded down $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $1.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 502,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,038,289. The company has a market capitalization of $39.77 million, a PE ratio of -1.80 and a beta of 1.27. eHealth has a fifty-two week low of $1.20 and a fifty-two week high of $7.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $2.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.49.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.38 by ($0.32). eHealth had a return on equity of 5.46% and a net margin of 6.12%.The business had revenue of $326.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $318.25 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that eHealth will post -2.17 EPS for the current year.

About eHealth

eHealth, Inc operates one of the largest online private health insurance exchanges in the United States. The company’s platform enables consumers to compare, select and enroll in individual, family and small-group health insurance plans offered by a broad network of licensed insurance carriers. In addition to Affordable Care Act–compliant offerings, eHealth provides dedicated services for Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, helping seniors navigate the complexities of Medicare coverage.

Through its digital marketplace, eHealth delivers real-time quotes, detailed plan comparisons and enrollment processing.