Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) has been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $107.67.

A number of analysts recently commented on EHC shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price target (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE EHC opened at $100.65 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The business’s 50 day moving average is $96.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.57, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. Encompass Health has a 12-month low of $73.68 and a 12-month high of $104.55.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. Research analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 87.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 53.0% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 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.