Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Upgraded to "Strong-Buy" at Stephens

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Stephens from an "overweight" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $135.00 price target on the stock. Stephens' price objective points to a potential upside of 12.16% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on EHC. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $127.00.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Encompass Health stock opened at $120.37 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.93. Encompass Health has a 1-year low of $82.74 and a 1-year high of $123.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $12.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Encompass Health will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total value of $1,147,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,149,910.90. This trade represents a 11.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total transaction of $498,974.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,958 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,394,422.38. This represents a 26.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 132,663 shares of company stock valued at $16,034,082 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 644,764 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,544,000 after purchasing an additional 4,345 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at $4,160,000. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,380 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 15,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 461,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,573,000 after purchasing an additional 458,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 76,102 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,028,000 after purchasing an additional 200 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.