Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Reaches New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $95.00 to $101.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Encompass Health traded as high as $82.81 and last traded at $82.09, with a volume of 126904 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $77.56.

EHC has been the subject of several other research reports. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $77.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $83.22.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,885 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,290 shares of the company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,340 shares of the company's stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in Encompass Health by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,074 shares of the company's stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 18.8% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Trading Up 6.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $8.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.80, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $74.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.90.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 7.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.24 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.29%.

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.