Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on EHC. KeyCorp raised their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $101.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,014,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 645,015. Encompass Health has a 12-month low of $78.53 and a 12-month high of $104.55. 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 has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.64. The company has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 2,870.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 7,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,000 after purchasing an additional 7,089 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Encompass Health by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 644,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,544,000 after buying an additional 4,345 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,673,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,781,000 after acquiring an additional 20,547 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 3,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 4th quarter valued at $374,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.