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

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,670,000 shares, a decrease of 6.7% from the May 31st total of 1,790,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 637,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 18,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total value of $850,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total transaction of $3,745,151.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,139,740.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,519 shares of company stock valued at $5,816,091 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EHC. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 1.5% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 8,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $712,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 1.2% during the first quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 12,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $997,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.5% during the first quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 31.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on EHC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Mizuho upped their target price on Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays upped their target price on Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $94.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $95.00 target price (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.29.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $85.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 648,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 637,219. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.89. Encompass Health has a 1-year low of $57.55 and a 1-year high of $87.94.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 7.60%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 16.22%.

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.