Baird Financial Group Inc. Acquires 2,294 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 1,147.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,494 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,294 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Encompass Health by 87.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Monday, April 28th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Encompass Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, May 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $120.86.

Encompass Health Price Performance

EHC opened at $120.94 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $105.43 and a 200 day moving average of $100.74. Encompass Health Co. has a 52-week low of $82.74 and a 52-week high of $121.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $12.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 EPS. Encompass Health's revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 79,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,149,910.90. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the insider now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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