US Bancorp DE Increases Stock Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,380 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 121 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,025,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,410,000 after buying an additional 21,329 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,673,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,781,000 after buying an additional 20,547 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,293,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,418,000 after buying an additional 8,548 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 2,458.5% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 869,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,990,000 after buying an additional 835,135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 769,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,083,000 after buying an additional 2,904 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note 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. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $96.11 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $97.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $74.45 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.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.