Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Purchased by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,207 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $204,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Encompass Health by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 4.6% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 43.8% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of EHC stock opened at $98.86 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $96.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.05. The firm has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 22.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $73.68 and a 1-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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. On average, analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 15.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EHC. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of Encompass Health 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.