Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $107.67.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on EHC shares. StockNews.com upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Trading Up 2.6 %

Encompass Health stock opened at $96.11 on Friday. Encompass Health has a 52 week low of $74.45 and a 52 week high of $104.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.93.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. Analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 15.25%.

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.