Trexquant Investment LP Buys New Stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 42,068 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,885,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EHC. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,679,774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,176,000 after purchasing an additional 6,164 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 786,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,630,000 after acquiring an additional 86,448 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth $212,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,076,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,799,000 after purchasing an additional 117,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 73.6% in the fourth quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $98.14 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $99.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Encompass Health Co. has a twelve month low of $78.53 and a twelve month high of $104.55. The stock has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.25%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.