Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $100.38.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on EHC shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on Encompass Health from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Barclays dropped their target price on Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total transaction of $1,058,528.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EHC. TD Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 239.6% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,969,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,384,000 after acquiring an additional 1,389,275 shares during the period. 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $75,424,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $69,178,000. Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 1,176.6% in the 2nd quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 744,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,899,000 after buying an additional 814,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 102.9% in the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,399,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,364,000 after buying an additional 709,593 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of EHC stock opened at $92.65 on Friday. Encompass Health has a 1 year low of $57.55 and a 1 year high of $94.59. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.25. The company has a market cap of $9.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.10. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 7.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.38%.

Encompass Health declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.