Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $1.24 Million in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 13,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 43.8% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC stock traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $118.74. 388,011 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 699,207. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Encompass Health Co. has a 12-month low of $82.74 and a 12-month high of $121.96. The company has a market capitalization of $11.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $107.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.42.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is 14.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $120.86.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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. This trade represents a 26.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total value of $1,147,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,149,910.90. This represents a 11.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 132,663 shares of company stock worth $16,034,082. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

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.