John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Invests $2.22 Million in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 24,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,221,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Williamson Legacy Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 7,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $705,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 25,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after acquiring an additional 5,039 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 54,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,007,000 after acquiring an additional 3,923 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 48,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,444,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $100.11 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $73.68 and a 1 year high of $104.55. The firm has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.36.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 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 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 15.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EHC. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.