Ieq Capital LLC Takes Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 44,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,096,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 3.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 4.6% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 43.8% in 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on EHC. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten equities research 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 company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $97.42 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $73.68 and a 12 month 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.