Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Bought by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 944.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,473 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,332 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $136,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 43.8% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter worth about $68,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on EHC shares. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price target (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of EHC stock opened at $97.42 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $73.68 and a one year high of $104.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.81. The stock has a market cap of $9.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. Analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is 15.25%.

Encompass Health 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.