Ameriprise Financial Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 804,029 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,557 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.80% of Encompass Health worth $74,252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,404,081 shares of the company's stock valued at $960,817,000 after buying an additional 138,196 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Encompass Health by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,536,251 shares of the company's stock worth $511,273,000 after acquiring an additional 176,135 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted 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 period. FMR LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,973,846 shares of the company's stock worth $182,285,000 after purchasing an additional 15,831 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Encompass Health by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,679,774 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,176,000 after acquiring an additional 6,164 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE:EHC remained flat at $119.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday. 263,135 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 688,711. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Encompass Health Co. has a 52-week low of $82.74 and a 52-week high of $120.11. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $104.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.41. The company has a market capitalization of $12.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EHC has been the topic of several analyst reports. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $120.86.

Insider Activity

In other Encompass Health news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total transaction of $498,974.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,394,422.38. The trade was a 26.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $1,147,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,149,910.90. This trade represents a 11.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

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.