Analyst Thomas Carroll at Stifel Nicolaus on Friday raised his price target for shares of Healthways to $19 from $13 after the Franklin-based provider of wellness programs reported a smaller-than-expected first-quarter loss. Healthways shares (Ticker: HWAY) popped big Friday, regaining the ground they had lost over the previous six weeks. To get to Carroll's new target — which is the highest on the Street — the shares would have to return to late-2009 levels.

Analyst Scott Fidel at Deutsche Bank has lifted his price target for shares of wellness services provider Healthways to $10 from $9. Healthways (Ticker: HWAY) has traded above $11 for most of the past two months and hasn't been in single digits since Thanksgiving. Fidel rates the stock a 'hold.'

Analyst Ryan Daniels at William Blair has raised his rating on shares of wellness services provider Healthways to 'outperform' from 'market perform.' The move, which makes Daniels the fourth analyst to recommend investors buy the Franklin-based company, has given Healthways a nice boost in Monday trading. At about 2:20 p.m., the shares (Ticker: HWAY) were up almost 3 percent to $11.75. If they stay there today, it'll be their highest close since late September.

Avondale Partners' Kevin Campbell says investors should continue to buy shares of LifePoint Hospitals and has raised his price target on the company to $54 from $50. He sees LifePoint benefiting both from the big picture — the continued M&A activity in the sector and the rollout of insurance exchanges — as well as company-specific dynamics, including higher incentive payments related to the adoption of technology and up to $10 million in cost savings from outsourcing a bunch of back-office functions to HCA's Parallon division. Campbell's advice didn't immediately help investors, though: Heading into the final half hour of regular trading, LifePoint (Ticker: LPNT) was off almost 2 percent to about $43.10.

Healthways executives recently amended their revolving and term debt package with their SunTrust-led bank group to give them more time to lower the company's leverage ratios. Previously, the wellness services provider had until June 30 of this year to stairstep its way from a leverage ratio of 4:1 down to 3.5:1. Since last week, the banks' covenants say it has until March of next year to do so. CEO Ben Leedle recently said the first half of this year will not produce much growth at Healthways (Ticker: HWAY) but that profits should ramp come summer.

The fourth-quarter earnings and 2013 outlook provided the other day by Healthways executives have convinced Dougherty & Co. analyst Brooks O'Neil to lift his price target for the Franklin company. O'Neil, who has reiterated his 'buy' rating, now sees Healthways going to $16 instead of $12. Healthways (Ticker: HWAY) is changing hands this morning around $10.55.

Healthways’ SilverSneakers fitness program is off and running again. ConnectiCare, a Minnesota-based health plan, has agreed to add Healthways’ SilverSneakers senior adult fitness regime to its employee benefit offering, a move adding a potential 550 folks to the popular Healthways program.

“By providing the SilverSneakers Fitness Program, ConnectiCare is demonstrating its commitment to meeting the needs of its members through a solution designed to enhance the health and well-being of participants,” said Ben Leedle Jr., Healthways’ president and CEO.

The three-year agreement, signed in December, officially began Jan. 1 and is available to all of ConnectiCare’s eligible employees.

Healthways has significantly expanded its customer base due to the popularity of the SilverSneakers program. In September, Florida insurer AvMed extended by two years its SilverSneakers contract for two Miami-area counties.

While in October, Healthways’ officials announced a three-year contract with UCare, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit health insurer, a deal making the program available to 125,000 UCare employees.