Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 18,277 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its Encompass Health stake by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 18,277 shares and leaving it with 1,176,582 shares valued at about $124.7 million.
• Encompass Health reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.60 and revenue of $1.59 billion, both beating estimates; revenue rose 9% year over year.
• Analysts remain bullish overall on EHC, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $144.17, while the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its position in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,176,582 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,277 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 1.17% of Encompass Health worth $124,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,515,878 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,567,000 after buying an additional 476,564 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,616,178 shares of the company's stock valued at $205,279,000 after buying an additional 7,349 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,541,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,780,000 after buying an additional 397,694 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,410,335 shares of the company's stock valued at $179,141,000 after buying an additional 70,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 140.0% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,223,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,430,000 after buying an additional 713,738 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Treasurer Edmund Fay sold 11,937 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total transaction of $1,277,259.00. Following the transaction, the treasurer directly owned 89,325 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,557,775. This represents a 11.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.56, for a total value of $71,309.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,382.80. This trade represents a 2.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $107.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The business's 50-day moving average is $102.99 and its 200-day moving average is $106.40. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1 year low of $92.77 and a 1 year high of $127.99.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 10.04%.The firm's revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.890-6.110 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is 12.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on EHC. Barclays reduced their price target on Encompass Health from $153.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Encompass Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $144.17.

About Encompass Health

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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