Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” by KeyCorp

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) was upgraded by analysts at KeyCorp to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on EHC. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Barclays decreased their target price on Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $104.22.

Encompass Health Stock Up 2.5 %

EHC stock opened at $95.92 on Thursday. Encompass Health has a one year low of $57.55 and a one year high of $97.56. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $91.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.10. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 7.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at $11,761,839.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Planning raised its stake in Encompass Health by 4.1% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 19,086 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,844,000 after buying an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 43.7% during the 3rd quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 60,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,852,000 after acquiring an additional 18,407 shares in the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA bought a new position in Encompass Health during the third quarter worth $221,000. Reinhart Partners LLC. boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 2.4% in the third quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 673,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,043,000 after purchasing an additional 15,550 shares during the period. Finally, West Coast Financial LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 1.5% during the third quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 47,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,607,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

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.