Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 22,311 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 1.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,819,345 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,311 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.81% of Encompass Health worth $156,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 192.3% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 31.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at about $60,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Price Performance

EHC opened at $92.65 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.88. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $57.55 and a 12 month high of $94.59.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 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 company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. Encompass Health’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This is an increase from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.38%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $100.38.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.