Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys 109,007 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 599.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 127,204 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 109,007 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.13% of Encompass Health worth $11,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 43.8% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EHC. Wall Street Zen upgraded Encompass Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 11th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 target price (up previously from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Monday, April 28th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $120.86.

Encompass Health Price Performance

NYSE:EHC opened at $118.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a 50-day moving average of $107.42 and a 200-day moving average of $101.30. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $82.74 and a 52 week high of $121.96. The company has a market capitalization of $11.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.57, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.18. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. 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 previous year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 118,384 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.53, for a total value of $14,387,207.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 527,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at $64,054,817.10. The trade was a 18.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 132,663 shares of company stock valued at $16,034,082. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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