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

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of 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. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 649,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Encompass Health Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of EHC stock opened at $94.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.12. Encompass Health has a 1 year low of $69.76 and a 1 year high of $104.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on EHC. Barclays upped their price objective 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. 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 research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group boosted 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. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.11.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EHC. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 13,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 302,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,915,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at $380,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth $374,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.