Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) have been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $107.11.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EHC. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 387.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Encompass Health during the third quarter worth $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 58.9% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at $58,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Encompass Health stock opened at $91.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $9.19 billion, a PE ratio of 22.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Encompass Health has a 12-month low of $66.36 and a 12-month high of $104.55. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $98.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.47.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.43%.

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.