Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Purchased by Axa S.A.

AXA S.A. boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 132.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,866 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 38,117 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned 0.07% of Encompass Health worth $6,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at $152,953,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $100,637,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $77,944,000. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth about $52,094,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 136.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 689,206 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,648,000 after acquiring an additional 398,154 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total value of $498,974.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,958 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,394,422.38. The trade was a 26.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,710 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,321 shares of company stock worth $2,142,452. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on EHC shares. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Encompass Health from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 3rd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $120.86.

Encompass Health Price Performance

EHC traded up $0.54 during trading on Friday, reaching $116.45. 623,027 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 687,381. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $82.74 and a 1 year high of $118.27. The company has a market capitalization of $11.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. The business's 50 day moving average price is $103.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.43 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health's payout ratio is 14.05%.

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.