Vanguard Group Inc. Has $1.05 Billion Position in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 0.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 10,411,482 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,401 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Encompass Health worth $1,054,475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in Encompass Health by 22.9% in the first quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $72,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the first quarter valued at about $87,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC stock opened at $117.45 on Tuesday. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1 year low of $85.55 and a 1 year high of $123.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $116.29 and its 200-day moving average is $109.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.20. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Encompass Health’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This is an increase from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 118,384 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.53, for a total value of $14,387,207.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 527,070 shares in the company, valued at $64,054,817.10. This trade represents a 18.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on EHC shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price target (up from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Stephens upgraded shares of Encompass Health from an “overweight” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $133.17.

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.