Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Raises Position in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 223,673 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,967 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. owned 0.22% of Encompass Health worth $28,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EHC. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $139,536,000. Congress Asset Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the second quarter worth approximately $92,691,000. 8 Knots Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the second quarter worth $78,644,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at $34,364,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,719,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on EHC. Wall Street Zen raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 23rd. Raymond James Financial raised Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $142.86.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $106.09 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.59. Encompass Health Corporation has a 52 week low of $87.85 and a 52 week high of $127.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.74.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 16th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 9.33%.The company had revenue of $136.30 million during the quarter. Encompass Health has set its FY22 guidance at $3.83-$4.19 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 14.37%.

Encompass Health Company Profile

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.