Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's Why

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $117.69 and last traded at $117.72, with a volume of 95002 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $116.64.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on EHC shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com lowered Encompass Health from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up previously from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.86.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $11.75 billion, a PE ratio of 26.15, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $102.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.64.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Insider Transactions 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 stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total transaction of $498,974.19. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,321 shares of company stock valued at $2,142,452 in the last quarter. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other 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.