Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $120.86.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE:EHC opened at $116.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05. Encompass Health has a fifty-two week low of $82.74 and a fifty-two week high of $117.52. The company has a market cap of $11.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.17, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $101.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.23.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total transaction of $1,147,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,149,910.90. This represents a 11.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EHC. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the first quarter worth approximately $201,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 47.1% during the 1st quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $536,000 after buying an additional 1,696 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 169,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,191,000 after acquiring an additional 3,839 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 570,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,761,000 after acquiring an additional 42,245 shares during the period. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 5.5% during the first quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.