Raymond James Reaffirms Strong-Buy Rating for Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC)

Raymond James reiterated their strong-buy rating on shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $95.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $85.00.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on EHC. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $83.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Mizuho increased their price target on Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, William Blair restated an outperform rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $88.13.

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $83.62 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.10. Encompass Health has a twelve month low of $57.55 and a twelve month high of $85.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.37 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.19. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 7.60%. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 16.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 239.6% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,969,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,384,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389,275 shares during the period. 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth about $75,424,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,178,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,974,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,914,000 after purchasing an additional 724,544 shares during the period. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Encompass Health by 102.9% during the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,399,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,364,000 after buying an additional 709,593 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.