Addus HomeCare Co. (NASDAQ:ADUS) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Addus HomeCare Co. (NASDAQ:ADUS) saw a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 452,000 shares, a growth of 6.4% from the November 30th total of 425,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 135,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Insider Transactions at Addus HomeCare

In related news, EVP Roberton James Stevenson sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $272,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,236,257. This represents a 18.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO R Dirk Allison sold 12,500 shares of Addus HomeCare stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.16, for a total transaction of $1,539,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 141,897 shares in the company, valued at $17,476,034.52. The trade was a 8.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Addus HomeCare

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ADUS. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Addus HomeCare during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Addus HomeCare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Addus HomeCare by 9,150.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Sandia Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Addus HomeCare during the second quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Addus HomeCare by 25.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 935 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. 95.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ADUS shares. StockNews.com raised Addus HomeCare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Addus HomeCare in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Addus HomeCare from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. JMP Securities assumed coverage on Addus HomeCare in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citizens Jmp upgraded Addus HomeCare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $133.67.

Addus HomeCare Stock Performance

ADUS stock opened at $126.28 on Tuesday. Addus HomeCare has a 52 week low of $85.94 and a 52 week high of $136.12. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 28.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.57.

Addus HomeCare (NASDAQ:ADUS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $289.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.42 million. Addus HomeCare had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 9.62%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Addus HomeCare will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

About Addus HomeCare

Addus HomeCare Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides personal care services to elderly, chronically ill, disabled persons, and individuals who are at risk of hospitalization or institutionalization in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Personal Care, Hospice, and Home Health.