Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Leerink Partnrs

Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, Zacks.com reports. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Encompass Health’s Q2 2024 earnings at $1.01 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.98 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $4.04 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.11 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.15 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.01 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.06 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.33 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.67 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.94 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $5.19 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on EHC. Stephens reissued an overweight rating and set a $94.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday. They set an outperform rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $94.75.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $86.54 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $85.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.74. Encompass Health has a 52-week low of $57.55 and a 52-week high of $87.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.37.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.22%.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other news, Director Greg D. Carmichael acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $83.73 per share, with a total value of $167,460.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 17,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,427,596.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Greg D. Carmichael bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $83.73 per share, for a total transaction of $167,460.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,427,596.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,519 shares of company stock valued at $5,816,091 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,204,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 85.6% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 6,627 shares during the last quarter. BDF Gestion bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,646,000. CWM LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 275.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 35,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,071,000 after acquiring an additional 26,270 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.