Brokerages Set Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) PT at $104.67

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $104.67.

EHC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Encompass Health from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Leerink Partnrs raised Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 6th.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.2 %

EHC opened at $95.66 on Thursday. Encompass Health has a one year low of $57.55 and a one year high of $98.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $93.20 and its 200-day moving average is $88.04. The company has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 7.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.38%.

Encompass Health declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total value of $1,058,528.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 379.7% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 578,349 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,587,000 after purchasing an additional 457,796 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Encompass Health by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,997,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,002,000 after buying an additional 450,081 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $496,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 31.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Gibson Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 1st quarter worth $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.