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

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,617,072 shares, an increase of 29.1% from the February 26th total of 1,252,362 shares. Currently, 5.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,256,558 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at eHealth

In related news, CFO John Joseph Dolan purchased 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $1.53 per share, for a total transaction of $38,250.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 208,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $319,395.15. This trade represents a 13.61% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EHTH. J. Goldman & Co LP purchased a new position in eHealth during the fourth quarter worth about $3,134,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of eHealth by 34.3% during the third quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 1,761,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,592,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of eHealth during the third quarter worth about $1,711,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of eHealth by 101.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 711,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 358,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in eHealth by 74.3% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 705,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,714,000 after purchasing an additional 300,792 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.54% of the company’s stock.

eHealth Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EHTH remained flat at $1.30 during midday trading on Tuesday. The company had a trading volume of 636,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 771,250. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $1.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.47. The company has a market capitalization of $40.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.83 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. eHealth has a 12 month low of $1.20 and a 12 month high of $7.09.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.38 by ($0.32). eHealth had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 5.46%. The company had revenue of $326.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $318.25 million. Analysts forecast that eHealth will post -2.17 earnings per share 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.