Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) Short Interest Up 19.7% in December

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,479,262 shares, a growth of 19.7% from the December 15th total of 2,907,146 shares. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 992,778 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 992,778 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial raised Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. UBS Group boosted their target price on Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $142.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 88,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,960,000 after buying an additional 15,677 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 38.4% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 92,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,338,000 after purchasing an additional 25,574 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter worth about $259,000. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 5.0% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 15,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of Encompass Health stock traded down $2.31 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $100.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,176,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 934,985. The company has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $109.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.14. Encompass Health has a 12-month low of $92.53 and a 12-month high of $127.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 9.33%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. Analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 14.37%.

Encompass Health Company Profile

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.