Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on EHC. Barclays boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.86.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of EHC stock opened at $112.77 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $121.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Encompass Health has a 12 month low of $87.85 and a 12 month high of $127.99.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 16th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 18.19%. The company had revenue of $136.30 million for the quarter. Encompass Health has set its FY22 guidance at $3.83-$4.19 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 1,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.59, for a total transaction of $126,061.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,329,177.14. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Encompass Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $139,536,000. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at $92,691,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 140.0% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,223,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,430,000 after buying an additional 713,738 shares during the period. 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter worth $78,644,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 1st quarter worth $50,665,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

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.