Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $95.00 to $101.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Encompass Health traded as high as $82.81 and last traded at $82.09, with a volume of 126904 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $77.56.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on EHC. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $77.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $83.22.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Encompass Health by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Encompass Health by 1.5% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its position in Encompass Health by 3.5% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health by 18.8% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Up 7.1 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.80. The company has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 7.33%. The business had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.29%.

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.