Northern Trust Corp Purchases 24,437 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Encompass Health Corporation by 2.4%, bringing its total shares to 1,057,338, valued at approximately $107 million.
• Several brokerages have raised their price targets for Encompass Health, with Royal Bank of Canada setting a new price objective of $125, reflecting strong analyst support.
• Encompass Health announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.17 to $0.19, with a dividend yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 13.31%.

Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,057,338 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,437 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.05% of Encompass Health worth $107,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the first quarter valued at about $263,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 6.7% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,727 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 30.1% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,597 shares of the company's stock valued at $972,000 after buying an additional 2,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 88.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:EHC traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $123.16. 329,786 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 812,966. The stock has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Encompass Health Corporation has a twelve month low of $87.85 and a twelve month high of $124.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $116.54 and a 200 day moving average of $110.73.

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

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Encompass Health's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Encompass Health's payout ratio is 13.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 1,020 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,329,177.14. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.