Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Increases Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 51.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,174 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 25,503 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.07% of Encompass Health worth $6,942,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $152,953,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,637,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $77,944,000. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,094,000. Finally, Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 15,266.7% in the fourth quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 461,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,573,000 after buying an additional 458,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.86.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,149,910.90. This represents a 11.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of EHC stock traded up $1.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $120.94. 904,433 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 693,345. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.74. Encompass Health Co. has a fifty-two week low of $82.74 and a fifty-two week high of $121.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $12.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.