Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on EHC. Barclays upped their target price on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC stock opened at $103.53 on Wednesday. Encompass Health has a one year low of $78.65 and a one year high of $104.55. The firm has a market cap of $10.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. 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 50-day simple moving average of $99.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.24.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 2.2% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,613,000 after buying an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 88.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 737.0% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 25,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 22,087 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 21.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Encompass Health by 5.7% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 7,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $721,000 after buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. 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.