Analysts Set Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) Price Target at $143.86

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $143.8571.

EHC has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays cut their price target on Encompass Health from $153.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Encompass Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Leerink Partners set a $152.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $111.27 on Wednesday. Encompass Health has a 52-week low of $92.77 and a 52-week high of $127.99. The stock has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50 day moving average is $105.76 and its 200 day moving average is $104.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 10.04%.The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.37 EPS. Encompass Health’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 5.96 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 12.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encompass Health news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.56, for a total transaction of $71,309.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,755 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,382.80. This represents a 2.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Encompass Health by 3,059,159.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,793,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,640,000 after buying an additional 3,793,358 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter worth about $4,881,000. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,307,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 690.2% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 344,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,601,000 after acquiring an additional 300,546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 440,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,782,000 after acquiring an additional 15,462 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Company Profile

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.