Short Interest in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Increases By 6.3%

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in 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. 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 company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 87.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 53.0% during 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 increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of EHC stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $94.68. The company had a trading volume of 471,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 545,259. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health has a 1-year low of $69.76 and a 1-year high of $104.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $97.39 and a 200 day moving average of $94.06. The firm has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.89.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on EHC. Barclays upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Nine research 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 presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.11.

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.