Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Receives Buy Rating from Truist Financial

Truist Financial reissued their buy rating on shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $116.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $108.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on EHC. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.11.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $101.35 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $94.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. Encompass Health has a 12-month low of $61.08 and a 12-month high of $102.36. The company has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.88% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 16.43%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In related news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total value of $1,058,528.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Trillium Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the first quarter valued at about $4,432,000. TD Asset Management Inc increased 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 worth $188,586,000 after buying an additional 314,488 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 275.7% during the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 35,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,071,000 after buying an additional 26,270 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 85.6% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,232,000 after buying an additional 6,627 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the second quarter worth approximately $2,204,000. 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.