Benjamin Edwards Inc. Buys 247 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,545 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 247 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 5.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 94,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,797,000 after buying an additional 4,714 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $237,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth about $2,099,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.5 %

EHC stock opened at $116.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $82.74 and a 52 week high of $118.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $103.44 and a 200 day moving average of $99.93.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 earned $1.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total value of $498,974.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,394,422.38. The trade was a 26.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,321 shares of company stock worth $2,142,452. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

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.