Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Short Interest Update

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,350,000 shares, an increase of 6.3% from the December 15th total of 1,270,000 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 649,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.11.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $94.68. 471,076 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 545,259. Encompass Health has a fifty-two week low of $69.76 and a fifty-two week high of $104.55. The firm has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.89. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $97.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.06.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted 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. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 3.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its stake in Encompass Health by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 87.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 53.0% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 4.6% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.