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

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) shares reached a new 52-week high 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. The stock had previously closed at $77.56.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $77.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $83.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $83.22.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EHC. Baupost Group LLC MA raised its position in Encompass Health by 318.9% during the first quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 3,000,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $213,330,000 after purchasing an additional 2,283,900 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 239.6% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,969,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,384,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389,275 shares during the last quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $75,424,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,178,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Encompass Health by 69.9% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,776,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,286,000 after purchasing an additional 731,015 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.93.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.24 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.33% and a return on equity of 17.69%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 17.29%.

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.