Semler Scientific continues to fill its coffers with bitcoins, having made a $17 million purchase and announcing that it is raising $150 million to buy more.

The May announcement of a $40 million bitcoin purchase sent the company's stock up 25%.

Publicly traded healthcare company Semler Scientific (SMLR), which has expanded its corporate strategy to include bitcoin (BTC) purchases, said it is buying $17 million more of the digital currency and is preparing to raise $150 million to buy more.

‘Semler remains focused on our two strategies: expanding our healthcare business and acquiring and storing bitcoins,’ said Doug Murphy-Hutorian, MD, CEO of Semler Scientific, in a press release. ‘The company now has 828 bitcoins, which underscores our view that bitcoin is an attractive investment and can serve as a reliable savings vehicle. We will continue to pursue our strategy of buying bitcoins for cash ‘.

Semler's 828 bitcoins were purchased for $57 million and are now worth $59 million, according to current market data from CoinDesk Indexes.

Collectively, the listed companies hold 308,442 BTC worth approximately $21.8 billion on their balance sheets, according to bitcointreasuries.net.

Semler's announcement in late May that it was buying $40 million worth of bitcoins sent its shares up 25 per cent.

SMLR closed the day down 2.5 per cent in US trading.