Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Stake Boosted by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 599.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,204 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 109,007 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.13% of Encompass Health worth $11,747,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EHC. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 44.7% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,737 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $374,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $380,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 302,272 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,915,000 after buying an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total transaction of $498,974.19. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total transaction of $1,147,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,149,910.90. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 132,663 shares of company stock valued at $16,034,082 over the last 90 days. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:EHC traded down $0.60 on Wednesday, hitting $120.41. 63,794 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 695,912. The stock has a market cap of $12.14 billion, a PE ratio of 27.03, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $108.68 and a 200-day moving average of $101.65. Encompass Health Co. has a fifty-two week low of $82.74 and a fifty-two week high of $121.96.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. The firm's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EHC. UBS Group lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.71.

About Encompass Health

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.