Summit Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Summit Investment Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 20,180 shares of the company’s stock after selling 464 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $1,864,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 137 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Encompass Health by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 43.8% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 704 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on EHC shares. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents 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. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

NYSE:EHC opened at $102.30 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.30 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $78.53 and a 52 week high of $104.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $99.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.11.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 15.25%.

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.