Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Hits New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $160.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. Encompass Health traded as high as $126.65 and last traded at $126.70, with a volume of 256496 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $124.60.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. KeyCorp upped their target price on Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Stephens raised Encompass Health from an “overweight” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Encompass Health from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seven have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encompass Health news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 1,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.59, for a total transaction of $126,061.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,846 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,177.14. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $263,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,727 shares of the company’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $972,000 after buying an additional 2,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 88.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $434,000 after buying an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.58. The company has a market cap of $12.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.92.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.20. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 9.22%.The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.11 EPS. Encompass Health’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Encompass Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.340 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.31%.

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.