Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Hits New 12-Month High at $88.83

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $88.83 and last traded at $88.13, with a volume of 22033 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $86.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EHC has been the topic of a number of research reports. SVB Leerink started coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $95.00 price target (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, April 26th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $94.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.50.

Encompass Health Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $85.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.83. 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 stock has a market cap of $8.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.89.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 7.60%. The company’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 1st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 16.22%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total value of $850,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Greg D. Carmichael purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $83.73 per share, for a total transaction of $167,460.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 17,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,427,596.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,519 shares of company stock valued at $5,816,091 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth about $20,210,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 364.4% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $928,000 after buying an additional 10,915 shares in the last quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the 1st quarter worth $4,432,000. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 16.0% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,283,674 shares of the company’s stock valued at $188,586,000 after acquiring an additional 314,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,318,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,989,000 after acquiring an additional 29,926 shares in the last quarter. 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.