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

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,100,000 shares, an increase of 7.8% from the October 31st total of 1,020,000 shares. Approximately 1.1% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 622,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EHC traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.48. The company had a trading volume of 546,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 639,401. The stock has a market cap of $10.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Encompass Health has a 1 year low of $64.15 and a 1 year high of $104.55. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $98.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.57.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Encompass Health will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Encompass Health's payout ratio is currently 16.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $116.00 price objective (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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $107.11.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 2,458.5% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 869,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,990,000 after acquiring an additional 835,135 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 1,176.6% during the second quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 744,836 shares of the company's stock worth $63,899,000 after buying an additional 814,018 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Encompass Health by 2,302.7% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 603,558 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,780,000 after buying an additional 578,438 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 213.3% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 207,202 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,776,000 after buying an additional 141,075 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 22.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 700,021 shares of the company's stock worth $67,412,000 after acquiring an additional 126,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.