Two Sigma Advisers LP Buys 36,800 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 136.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,800 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,800 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.06% of Encompass Health worth $5,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,404,081 shares of the company's stock worth $960,817,000 after purchasing an additional 138,196 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Encompass Health by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,536,251 shares of the company's stock valued at $511,273,000 after acquiring an additional 176,135 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,076,869 shares of the company's stock worth $191,799,000 after acquiring an additional 117,617 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,973,846 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,285,000 after purchasing an additional 15,831 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,679,774 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,176,000 after purchasing an additional 6,164 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total value of $498,974.19. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 118,384 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.53, for a total value of $14,387,207.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 527,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $64,054,817.10. This trade represents a 18.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 132,663 shares of company stock valued at $16,034,082. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on EHC. Barclays boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.71.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:EHC traded up $0.63 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $120.15. 289,783 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 785,513. 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 company has a market cap of $12.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.94, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $109.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.77. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $82.74 and a one year high of $121.96.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.05%.

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.