SPC Financial Inc. Sells 541 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

SPC Financial Inc. lowered its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,858 shares of the company’s stock after selling 541 shares during the period. SPC Financial Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $4,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 58.9% during 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health during the second quarter valued at about $58,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on EHC shares. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $102.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at $11,761,839.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Encompass Health stock opened at $96.64 on Tuesday. Encompass Health Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.55 and a fifty-two week high of $97.56. The stock has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $91.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $86.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.10. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 7.88%. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. This is an increase from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.38%.

Encompass Health announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.