Principal Securities Inc. Purchases 277 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,207 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Encompass Health by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 43.8% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the third quarter worth approximately $68,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of EHC opened at $98.86 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.17, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $73.68 and a 1-year high of $104.55. The company has a 50-day moving average of $96.01 and a 200 day moving average of $96.05.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. On average, research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EHC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.