Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Announces $0.15 Quarterly Dividend

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share on Monday, July 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st.

Encompass Health has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 18.8% per year over the last three years. Encompass Health has a dividend payout ratio of 13.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Encompass Health to earn $4.57 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 13.1%.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of EHC stock opened at $85.79 on Friday. Encompass Health has a 12 month low of $57.55 and a 12 month high of $87.94. The stock has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.90. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $84.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.51.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encompass Health news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total value of $3,745,151.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 554,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,139,740.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, 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 is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total value of $3,745,151.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 554,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,139,740.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 69,519 shares of company stock valued at $5,816,091. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.