Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Monday, April 28th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $122.71.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Encompass Health stock traded up $2.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $120.98. 494,425 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 698,388. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.51. Encompass Health has a 12 month low of $82.74 and a 12 month high of $121.96. 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 firm has a market cap of $12.19 billion, a PE ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $374,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,160,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% in the 4th 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. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its stake 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 during the period. 97.25% of the stock is 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.