Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.15

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share on Monday, July 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st.

Encompass Health has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 18.8% annually over the last three years. Encompass Health has a dividend payout ratio of 13.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Encompass Health to earn $4.55 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 13.2%.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC stock traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $83.21. 601,904 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 667,699. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $78.99 and its 200 day moving average is $71.41. The stock has a market cap of $8.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.92. Encompass Health has a 52-week low of $57.55 and a 52-week high of $85.84. 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 (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 7.60%. Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total transaction of $3,745,151.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at $46,139,740.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.29.

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.