Short Interest in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Rises By 19.2%

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.5 %

EHC stock traded up $1.46 on Wednesday, reaching $99.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 513,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 632,018. Encompass Health has a 12-month low of $76.11 and a 12-month high of $104.55. The firm has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.25%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $152,953,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,637,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $77,944,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Encompass Health by 2,458.5% during the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 869,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,990,000 after purchasing an additional 835,135 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,094,000. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

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.