Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Sells 22,873 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. trimmed its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 184,062 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,873 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned about 0.18% of Encompass Health worth $16,998,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,380 shares of the company's stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 704 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Encompass Health by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EHC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Encompass Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.86.

Encompass Health Price Performance

EHC traded up $1.23 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $117.14. 1,095,188 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 682,417. Encompass Health Co. has a twelve month low of $82.38 and a twelve month high of $117.52. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $100.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.83. 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 company has a market cap of $11.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Encompass Health's payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total value of $1,147,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,149,910.90. This represents a 11.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.