Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from $109.00 to $116.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

EHC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. UBS Group increased their target price on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.11.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $98.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health has a 52-week low of $62.58 and a 52-week high of $102.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $94.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.82.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 16.43%.

Encompass Health announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total transaction of $1,058,528.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 1,176.6% in the 2nd quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 744,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,899,000 after purchasing an additional 814,018 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 2,302.7% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 603,558 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,780,000 after acquiring an additional 578,438 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 614.8% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 540,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,637,000 after purchasing an additional 464,897 shares in the last quarter. Scout Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,356,000. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 314,488 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

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.