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

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,110,000 shares, an increase of 19.2% from the February 13th total of 1,770,000 shares. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 675,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EHC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Ten 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 MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 111 Capital acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $502,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 46.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 6,053 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 12,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $572,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EHC traded down $0.11 during trading on Thursday, reaching $99.26. 204,429 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 630,215. The stock has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.25, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. Encompass Health has a 12-month low of $76.11 and a 12-month high of $104.55. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

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.