UBS Group Boosts Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Price Target to $110.00

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) had its price objective increased by UBS Group from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Stephens reissued an overweight rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an outperform rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Encompass Health to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $102.88.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of EHC opened at $95.97 on Wednesday. Encompass Health has a one year low of $57.55 and a one year high of $97.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $91.00 and a 200 day moving average of $85.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.94, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Encompass Health declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total value of $1,058,528.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 187.2% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 11,130 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Encompass Health by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 57,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,821,000 after purchasing an additional 8,988 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at $491,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Encompass Health by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 78,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,209,000 after purchasing an additional 15,644 shares during the last quarter. 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.