Short Interest in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Grows By 10.9%

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,040,000 shares, an increase of 10.9% from the July 15th total of 1,840,000 shares. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 647,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EHC shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. SVB Leerink started coverage on Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.38.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.8 %

EHC stock traded down $0.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $88.62. 426,000 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 654,842. The company has a market capitalization of $8.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.16. Encompass Health has a 12 month low of $57.55 and a 12 month high of $94.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.10. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 7.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total transaction of $1,058,528.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health by 1.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,166,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $839,520,000 after buying an additional 169,113 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,215,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,156,000 after acquiring an additional 449,230 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 16.0% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,283,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $188,586,000 after acquiring an additional 314,488 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,928,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,666,000 after purchasing an additional 120,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Encompass Health by 1.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,819,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,083,000 after purchasing an additional 22,311 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Company Profile

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.