Brokerages Set Alignment Healthcare, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALHC) Price Target at $23.60

Alignment Healthcare, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALHC) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.60.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ALHC shares. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Alignment Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Alignment Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research lowered Alignment Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on Alignment Healthcare from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Alignment Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $22.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Monday, August 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alignment Healthcare news, EVP Joseph S. Konowiecki sold 23,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.61, for a total value of $202,429.71. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,080,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,301,426.05. This trade represents a 2.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO John E. Kao sold 27,400 shares of Alignment Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total transaction of $356,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 590,766 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,679,958. This trade represents a 4.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,377,488 shares of company stock worth $20,466,194. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alignment Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Alignment Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,164,000. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Alignment Healthcare by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 53,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 7,318 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in Alignment Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its holdings in shares of Alignment Healthcare by 128.2% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 136,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,250,000 after purchasing an additional 76,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alignment Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $755,000. 86.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alignment Healthcare News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alignment Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive after the selloff. Coverage continues to describe ALHC as a potential bargain, and the stock retains a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, although price targets may not yet reflect the latest concerns. Analysts Are Bullish on Alignment Healthcare
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Joseph Konowiecki sold 23,511 shares for approximately $202,430 at an average price of $8.61. The filing states that the sale covered tax-withholding obligations related to vested equity awards, making it less indicative of management’s investment outlook. SEC Filing for Joseph Konowiecki
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO John Kao previously sold 27,400 shares for $356,200 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. While the transaction reduced his direct holdings by 4.43%, its scheduled nature limits the bearish signal. SEC Filing for John Kao
• Negative Sentiment: Investors reacted negatively to management’s disclosures at the Baird conference, particularly uncertainty surrounding Medicare Advantage star ratings. Those ratings can influence reimbursement, enrollment and profitability, so limited visibility increased concerns about Alignment’s earnings outlook. Hagens Berman Conference Investigation Update
• Negative Sentiment: Reports also highlighted potential Medicare Advantage reforms, creating uncertainty about how regulatory changes could affect Alignment’s economics and future growth. Alignment Healthcare Faces Medicare Advantage Reform
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced securities-fraud investigations following the steep conference-related selloff. The investigations do not establish wrongdoing, but they add potential litigation, reputational and headline risk. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Alignment Healthcare

Alignment Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ALHC opened at $8.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 43.95 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $14.96 and a 200 day moving average of $17.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.70. Alignment Healthcare has a one year low of $8.27 and a one year high of $25.12.

Alignment Healthcare (NASDAQ:ALHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.04. Alignment Healthcare had a net margin of 0.89% and a return on equity of 20.02%. The business had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.07 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 31.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Alignment Healthcare will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Alignment Healthcare

Alignment Healthcare, Inc is a technology-enabled healthcare company that provides Medicare Advantage health plans and care-management services for older adults. Through its Alignment Health Plan subsidiary, the company offers insurance coverage designed for Medicare-eligible members, including primary and specialty care coordination, prescription drug benefits, preventive services and access to a network of healthcare providers.

The company combines health-plan operations with proprietary technology intended to support personalized care.