Virtu Financial LLC Invests $403,000 in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 4,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $403,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of 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 period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $100.33 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $98.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.29. Encompass Health Co. has a 52-week low of $77.09 and a 52-week high of $104.55. 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 company has a market cap of $10.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.