Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Price Target Raised to $110.00 at Royal Bank of Canada

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Royal Bank of Canada from $105.00 to $110.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their target price on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.11.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of Encompass Health stock traded up $1.35 on Wednesday, hitting $101.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,205,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 639,027. The company has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.88. Encompass Health has a 1 year low of $61.08 and a 1 year high of $102.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $93.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.52.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 7.88%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encompass Health will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.43%.

Encompass Health announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total transaction of $1,058,528.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 136,227 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,761,839.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 387.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 53.0% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 58.9% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.