Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Leerink Partnrs

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) was upgraded by stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on EHC. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $94.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $95.00 price objective (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $94.75.

Encompass Health Stock Up 1.3 %

EHC stock opened at $85.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Encompass Health has a 52 week low of $57.55 and a 52 week high of $87.94.

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

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total value of $3,745,151.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,139,740.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Encompass Health news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 14,543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.94, for a total transaction of $1,220,739.42. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 84,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,115,845.62. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total transaction of $3,745,151.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at $46,139,740.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 69,519 shares of company stock worth $5,816,091. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encompass Health

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 360.2% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 405 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 192.3% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Company Profile

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.