Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $123.13 and last traded at $121.26, with a volume of 573478 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $121.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $127.00.

Encompass Health Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $111.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.74.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 14.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total value of $1,147,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,710 shares in the company, valued at $9,149,910.90. This trade represents a 11.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 118,384 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.53, for a total transaction of $14,387,207.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 527,070 shares in the company, valued at $64,054,817.10. This represents a 18.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 132,663 shares of company stock worth $16,034,082 in the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the 1st quarter valued at $34,364,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,557,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 159.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 21.8% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 21,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,160,000 after buying an additional 3,815 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 6.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 390,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,549,000 after buying an additional 22,896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

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.