Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Holdings Lifted by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,997,034 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 450,081 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.98% of Encompass Health worth $667,002,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $20,210,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 364.4% in the 4th quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,910 shares of the company’s stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 10,915 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,318,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,989,000 after purchasing an additional 29,926 shares during the period. Phocas Financial Corp. lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 112.4% during the fourth quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. now owns 99,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,664,000 after purchasing an additional 52,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,150,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,786,000 after purchasing an additional 175,975 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total value of $850,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 554,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,139,740.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,519 shares of company stock valued at $5,816,091 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $84.86 on Monday. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $57.55 and a one year high of $87.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $84.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $8.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on EHC. 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. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $95.00 target price (up from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $94.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $93.29.

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.