Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,350,000 shares, a growth of 6.3% from the December 15th total of 1,270,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 649,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EHC has been the subject of several analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.11.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE EHC traded up $0.27 on Friday, reaching $94.68. 471,076 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 545,259. Encompass Health has a 12 month low of $69.76 and a 12 month high of $104.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $97.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.06. The company has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.87, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.89.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Encompass Health will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 387.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew 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 during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Company Profile

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.