Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $143.8571.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Encompass Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Leerink Partners set a $152.00 target price on Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Encompass Health from $153.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th.

Encompass Health Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $110.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.22. Encompass Health has a twelve month low of $92.77 and a twelve month high of $127.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $10.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.72.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This is an increase from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.56, for a total value of $71,309.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,382.80. This represents a 2.68% 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 this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EHC. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Encompass Health by 3,059,159.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,793,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,640,000 after purchasing an additional 3,793,358 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $133,221,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,805,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $510,047,000 after buying an additional 948,202 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 140.0% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,223,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,430,000 after buying an additional 713,738 shares during the period. Finally, 8 Knots Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the second quarter worth about $78,644,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.