Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,404,081 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 138,196 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.33% of Encompass Health worth $960,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position 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. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on EHC shares. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating 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 analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $100.75 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $78.53 and a 52 week high of $104.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $98.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.38. The company has a market cap of $10.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.25%.

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.