Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Upgraded to Strong-Buy 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 report published on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Truist Financial restated 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. KeyCorp upped their price target on Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.71.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:EHC traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $119.99. 552,940 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 699,372. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $109.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.88. 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 twelve month low of $82.74 and a twelve month high of $121.96. The firm has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were 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 owns 79,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,149,910.90. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the business's 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 owns 11,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,394,422.38. The trade was a 26.35% decrease in their position. 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 quarter. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,364,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,557,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 159.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 831 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 21,329 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,160,000 after acquiring an additional 3,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 390,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,549,000 after acquiring an additional 22,896 shares in the last quarter. 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.