Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Receives $83.22 Average PT from Brokerages

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $90.29.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $95.00 price target (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Barclays upped their price target on Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 9th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $82.84 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $78.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Encompass Health has a 12 month low of $57.55 and a 12 month high of $85.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.94.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 16.22%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,139,740.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EHC. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter worth $1,502,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 37.4% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 57.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 30,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 11,070 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 12,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $997,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 534,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,120,000 after buying an additional 44,612 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.