Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Has $1.84 Million Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lowered its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 3.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,416 shares of the company’s stock after selling 715 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $1,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 1.5% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 8,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% during the first quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 12,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $997,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.5% during the first quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Encompass Health Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of EHC stock opened at $92.65 on Monday. Encompass Health Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.55 and a fifty-two week high of $94.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.32. The company has a market cap of $9.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.04, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Encompass Health declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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 represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is 18.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on EHC. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Leerink Partners began coverage on Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Leerink Partnrs raised Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $100.38.

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.