Short Interest in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Grows By 7.8%

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,100,000 shares, a growth of 7.8% from the October 31st total of 1,020,000 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 622,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $102.38 on Tuesday. Encompass Health has a twelve month low of $64.15 and a twelve month high of $104.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.45. The firm has a market cap of $10.31 billion, a PE ratio of 24.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.43%.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 387.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 53.0% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 58.9% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EHC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.11.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health Corporation provides post-acute healthcare services in the United States and Puerto Rico. It owns and operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals that provide medical, nursing, therapy, and ancillary services. The company provides specialized rehabilitative treatment on an inpatient basis to patients who have experienced physical or cognitive disabilities or injuries due to medical conditions, such as strokes, hip fractures, and various debilitating neurological conditions.