Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Purchases Shares of 30,485 Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased 30,485 Encompass Health shares worth approximately $3.08 million, while institutional investors collectively own 97.25% of the company.
• Encompass Health exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.55 versus $1.48 forecast and revenue of $1.60 billion, up 9.6% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.19 to $0.21 per share.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with the stock carrying a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $148.71 versus its reported $121.80 share price. However, insiders sold approximately $23.4 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 30,485 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,081,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,059,762,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,805,413 shares of the company's stock valued at $510,047,000 after acquiring an additional 948,202 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 3,059,159.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,793,482 shares of the company's stock worth $402,640,000 after purchasing an additional 3,793,358 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 21.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,384,877 shares of the company's stock worth $359,271,000 after acquiring an additional 603,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Encompass Health by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,722,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,008,000 after purchasing an additional 581,812 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $121.80 on Friday. Encompass Health Corporation has a 12-month low of $92.77 and a 12-month high of $127.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.02 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.75. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $115.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.58.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.57 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 10.01%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.250 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Encompass Health's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Encompass Health's payout ratio is 12.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on EHC. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Leerink Partners set a $152.00 price objective on Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Encompass Health from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $140.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $148.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encompass Health news, EVP John Darby sold 8,906 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.95, for a total transaction of $1,121,710.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 75,041 shares in the company, valued at $9,451,413.95. This represents a 10.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 173,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.47, for a total transaction of $21,724,879.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 267,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,602,622.58. The trade was a 39.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 186,912 shares of company stock worth $23,434,845 in the last ninety days. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Encompass Health Profile

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.

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