Summit Financial LLC Buys New Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Summit Financial LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 2,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the third quarter worth $405,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 62.0% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 37.2% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 6,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,707 shares during the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the third quarter worth about $233,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the third quarter worth about $68,000. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

NYSE:EHC opened at $98.14 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.67. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $78.53 and a 1 year high of $104.55.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EHC has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of 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 lowered Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health 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.