Raymond James Financial Inc. Increases Stock Position in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Encompass Health Corporation, purchasing an additional 25,493 shares, bringing their total ownership to 869,500 shares, valued at approximately $88 million.
• Encompass Health recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share, representing a yield of 0.6%, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.17.
• Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Encompass Health, with a consensus target price of $134.00 and multiple firms upgrading their ratings, reflecting growing confidence in the company's performance.

Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 869,500 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,493 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.86% of Encompass Health worth $88,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 749.0% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 416 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 671 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.5%

EHC stock traded down $0.67 during trading on Friday, hitting $122.76. 798,000 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 895,065. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1 year low of $87.85 and a 1 year high of $124.67. The firm's 50 day moving average is $116.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.27. The stock has a market cap of $12.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 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 (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.11 EPS. Encompass Health's revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Encompass Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.340 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This is a boost from Encompass Health's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Encompass Health's payout ratio is 14.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Encompass Health from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens upgraded shares of Encompass Health from an "overweight" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price 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.