Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $143.2857.

A number of research firms have recently commented on EHC. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $150.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.64, for a total transaction of $16,746,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 377,070 shares in the company, valued at $42,096,094.80. This trade represents a 28.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 57.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,194,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,544,000 after buying an additional 437,464 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,272,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 12.8% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 894,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,621,000 after purchasing an additional 101,274 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,719,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 29,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,800,000 after purchasing an additional 18,874 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC stock opened at $106.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $103.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.65. Encompass Health has a 52-week low of $92.53 and a 52-week high of $127.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.71.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.17. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 9.54%.The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.17 EPS. Encompass Health’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.810-6.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 13.72%.

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.