Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) Receives $142.86 Average Target Price from Analysts

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $142.8571.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on EHC shares. Zacks Research downgraded Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.1%

EHC opened at $100.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Encompass Health has a fifty-two week low of $92.53 and a fifty-two week high of $127.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $109.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.74.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 17.84%. Encompass Health’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 14.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. Citizens National Bank Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 56.7% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 88.1% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the third quarter valued at $39,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post?acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end?of?life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.