eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) Short Interest Up 26.5% in December

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 300,100 shares, an increase of 26.5% from the November 30th total of 237,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 215,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on shares of eHealth in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $5.50 price target on the stock. Craig Hallum upgraded eHealth from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $5.00 to $7.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded eHealth from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on eHealth from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.38.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eHealth

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of eHealth in the 2nd quarter worth $675,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of eHealth by 307.5% in the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 175,878 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after buying an additional 132,720 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of eHealth by 104.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 257,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after buying an additional 131,772 shares during the last quarter. RBF Capital LLC increased its position in shares of eHealth by 29.0% during the third quarter. RBF Capital LLC now owns 443,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,808,000 after acquiring an additional 99,618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of eHealth by 86.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 212,555 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 98,793 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.54% of the company’s stock.

eHealth Stock Performance

Shares of EHTH opened at $8.70 on Tuesday. eHealth has a one year low of $3.58 and a one year high of $8.98. The company has a market cap of $257.82 million, a PE ratio of -3.05 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $5.77 and a 200-day moving average of $4.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 3.10 and a quick ratio of 3.10.

About eHealth

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.