Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Hits New 1-Year High After Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday following insider buying activity. The stock traded as high as $85.97 and last traded at $85.73, with a volume of 105271 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $84.51.

Specifically, Director Greg D. Carmichael bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now owns 17,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,427,596.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Encompass Health news, Director Greg D. Carmichael purchased 2,000 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $83.73 per share, with a total value of $167,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,427,596.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 14,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.94, for a total transaction of $1,220,739.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 84,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,115,845.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on EHC. Barclays boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. 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. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $83.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $90.29.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.7 %

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market cap of $8.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.92.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.22%.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in Encompass Health by 360.2% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the third quarter valued at $35,000. 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.