Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Purchases 228,064 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Key Points

• Bahl & Gaynor Inc. significantly increased its investment in Encompass Health by 991.5% in the first quarter, now owning over 251,000 shares valued at approximately $25.4 million.
• Institutional investors currently hold 97.25% of Encompass Health's stock, with major contributions from firms like Nuveen LLC and T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc.
• Analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating on Encompass Health, with target prices ranging up to $140.00, reflecting strong confidence in the stock's performance.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 991.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 251,065 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 228,064 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of Encompass Health worth $25,428,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EHC. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $263,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 21.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,366 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 6.7% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,727 shares of the company's stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 30.1% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,597 shares of the company's stock worth $972,000 after buying an additional 2,218 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 88.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,290 shares of the company's stock worth $434,000 after buying an additional 2,017 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE EHC traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $123.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 612,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 813,373. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.14, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.86. Encompass Health Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $87.85 and a fifty-two week high of $124.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.20. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Encompass Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.340 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This is a positive change from Encompass Health's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 1,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.59, for a total transaction of $126,061.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,329,177.14. The trade was a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EHC. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Encompass Health from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Stephens upgraded shares of Encompass Health from an "overweight" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.00.

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.