Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research cut Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.86.

Encompass Health Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $116.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Encompass Health has a 1 year low of $87.85 and a 1 year high of $127.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $120.96 and a 200 day moving average of $119.55.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 16th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $136.30 million during the quarter. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 18.19%. Encompass Health has set its FY22 guidance at $3.83-$4.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 14.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Citizens National Bank Trust Department bought a new position in Encompass Health in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 56.7% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 88.1% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.