eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) Short Interest Down 8.8% in September

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) saw a large drop in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 474,500 shares, a drop of 8.8% from the September 15th total of 520,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 177,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days.

eHealth Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of EHTH traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $4.92. The company had a trading volume of 122,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 264,829. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.29 million, a P/E ratio of -1.93 and a beta of 0.53. eHealth has a 52-week low of $3.58 and a 52-week high of $9.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.66.

eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported ($1.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $65.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.79 million. eHealth had a negative net margin of 6.32% and a negative return on equity of 4.03%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that eHealth will post -1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Craig Hallum decreased their price objective on shares of eHealth from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of eHealth from $5.00 to $2.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Francis S. Soistman, Jr. purchased 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $4.07 per share, with a total value of $203,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 907,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,695,051.25. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO John J. Stelben acquired 20,000 shares of eHealth stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $4.16 per share, for a total transaction of $83,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 515,565 shares in the company, valued at $2,144,750.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Francis S. Soistman, Jr. bought 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.07 per share, for a total transaction of $203,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 907,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,695,051.25. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 80,365 shares of company stock worth $329,404 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of eHealth

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in eHealth in the second quarter valued at $53,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its stake in shares of eHealth by 3,996.8% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 12,741 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 12,430 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of eHealth by 76.7% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,323 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 5,782 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC raised 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 worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 7,980 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in eHealth by 15.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 38,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 5,120 shares in the last quarter. 79.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

eHealth Company Profile

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.