Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.15

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share on Monday, July 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st.

Encompass Health has decreased its dividend by an average of 18.8% per year over the last three years. Encompass Health has a payout ratio of 13.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Encompass Health to earn $4.57 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 13.1%.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $85.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 23.19, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $84.77 and a 200-day moving average of $77.51. Encompass Health has a 12 month low of $57.55 and a 12 month high of $87.94.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.60% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In related news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Encompass Health news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total transaction of $3,745,151.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at $46,139,740.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,519 shares of company stock worth $5,816,091 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EHC. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $94.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $95.00 price target (up from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $93.29.

Encompass Health Company Profile

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.