7,719 Shares in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC Acquired by Natural Investments LLC

Key Points

• Natural Investments LLC acquired 7,719 shares of Encompass Health Corporation, valued at approximately $946,000, during the second quarter, indicating significant investment interest in the company.
• Encompass Health has recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.19 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous $0.17 dividend and a yield of 0.6%.
• Several equities analysts have upgraded their price targets for Encompass Health, with Bank of America raising its target from $145.00 to $160.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating.

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 749.0% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 416 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 22.9% during the first quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 671 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 19.0% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 720 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of EHC opened at $122.02 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $122.73 and its 200 day moving average is $116.39. Encompass Health Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $87.85 and a fifty-two week high of $127.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.29 billion, a PE ratio of 23.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 16th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The company had revenue of $136.30 million for the quarter. Encompass Health has set its FY22 guidance at $3.83-$4.19 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Encompass Health's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encompass Health news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 1,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.59, for a total transaction of $126,061.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,846 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,177.14. The trade was a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on EHC shares. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eight have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.86.

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.

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