Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $143.61 and last traded at $140.88, with a volume of 23,959 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on EHC. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Barclays upped their target price on Encompass Health from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 31st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $155.00 target price on Encompass Health in a report on Monday, November 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $154.25.

Encompass Health Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $13.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $126.33 and its 200-day moving average is $111.79.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.60 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 10.17%. Encompass Health’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 4th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 4th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is 13.12%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, EVP John Darby sold 4,858 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.09, for a total transaction of $588,255.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,086,714.69. This represents a 6.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 4,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Encompass Health by 2.7% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,969 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 10.3% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Encompass Health by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 16,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Company Profile

Encompass Health Corporation is a U.S. healthcare provider focused on inpatient rehabilitation. The company operates rehabilitation hospitals that offer specialized care for people recovering from conditions such as strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, orthopedic conditions, and other illnesses or injuries. Its hospitals provide coordinated rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy, alongside medical care. Encompass Health serves patients through facilities across the United States.