Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the eleven analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $107.67.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EHC. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE:EHC opened at $97.05 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $97.98 and its 200-day moving average is $97.13. Encompass Health has a 52-week low of $76.11 and a 52-week high of $104.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. 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 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.25%.

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.