Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Acquires New Shares in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,034,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in Encompass Health by 40.6% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 278,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,728,000 after purchasing an additional 80,504 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter worth about $4,096,000. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter worth about $9,688,000. Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 8,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $802,000 after buying an additional 884 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of EHC opened at $99.87 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $96.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.76. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $10.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.39, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $73.68 and a 52 week high of $104.55.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. On average, analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.25%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.