Managed Health Care

Two new trades this morning with the possibility of another two should Hatteras Financial (HTS) trigger at $28.69 and United Healthcare (UNH) at $50.21. The two that I got in this morning are doing well so far, despite little movement out of the broader markets at this point. The first one is Jabil...

In a recent report, Goldman Sachs has increased the EPS on WellCare Health Plans (NYSE: WCG) from $3.00 to $3.75 and the price target on WCG from $52.00 to $57.00 after a strong first quarter. In the report, Goldman Sachs said, "Beyond a very strong 1Q and higher outlook, recent events show that...

America Service Group Inc. (NASDAQ: ASGR), the parent company of PHS Correctional Healthcare, Inc., today announced that it has received notice from the Federal Trade Commission granting early termination of the waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as...

Deutsche Bank has a Hold rating and a $41 price target on shares of WellCare Health Plans (NYSE: WCG) following the company's earnings report. In a note to investors, Deutsche Bank writes, "WCG wrapped up an excellent 1Q11 managed care earnings seasons this morning by reporting 1Q11 ops EPS of $0...

According to Jefferies, Cigna (NASDAQ: CI) posted a great quarter with the three key segments beating earning estimates by 12-20%. 1Q11 EPS of $1.37 exceeded consensus by 26% and CI raised 2011 EPS guidance midpoint 7% to $4.83 (2% above consensus). Jefferies said that international top line...

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting April nonfarm-payrolls data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 21 points to 12,591.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index rose 3.50 points to 1,338.50. Nasdaq 100 futures surged 6.50 points...

Jefferies & Company has raised the price target on Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) from $52 to $56 and maintains its Buy rating.

WellCare Health Plans Inc (NYSE: WCG) reported a strong surge in its Q1 profit and raised its earnings forecast for the year. The company's quarterly profit jumped to $21.3 million, from $6.4 million, in the year-earlier period. The company's revenue increased 8.8% to $1.47 billion and earnings...

WellCare Health Plans (NYSE: WCG) today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011. As determined under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), net income for the first quarter of 2011 was $21.3 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, compared with $6.4 million, or $0.15...

Goldman Sachs increased its price target on Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) from $56 to $60. In a research report published today, Goldman named better than expected Q1 earnings results, which also led to an upgrade in Goldman's EPS estimate, as a reason for increasing its price target on Cigna. In...

Below are the top small-cap specialized health services stocks on the NYSE, the NASDAQ and the AMEX in terms of revenue. The trailing-twelve-month revenue at Providence Service Corporation (NASDAQ: PRSC) is $879.70 million. PRSC's ROE for the same period is 31.28%. The trailing-twelve-month...

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) announced today that they have reached agreement on a contract that expands access to include all of UPMC's hospitals and affiliated physicians in Aetna's Western Pennsylvania network for the first time since 2001. Under the...

Jefferies, which raised its PT on shares of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE: HNT), is providing some color on the stock. “Operating EPS of $0.61 beat consensus by four pennies, though was in-line with JEF,” Jefferies writes. “Government segment's net income far surpassed expectations ($11mm above our...

General Motors Co (NYSE: GM) reported its Q1 profit at $3.2 billion, or $1.77 per share, from $865 million, or $0.55 per share, in the year-earlier period. The latest quarter earnings included special items of $0.82 per share. The company's revenue surged to $36.2 billion, from $31.5 billion....

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting same-store sales data and a meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB). Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 33 points to 12,639.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index declined 4.70 points to 1,...