Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Earns “Overweight” Rating from Stephens

Stephens reiterated their overweight rating on shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $135.00 price target on the stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on EHC. Barclays lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. UBS Group increased their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $127.00.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $121.57 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health has a fifty-two week low of $82.74 and a fifty-two week high of $123.13.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In related news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total value of $498,974.19. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,394,422.38. The trade was a 26.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 value of $14,387,207.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 527,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,054,817.10. This trade represents a 18.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 132,663 shares of company stock valued at $16,034,082 over the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

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