Ieq Capital LLC Makes New $4.10 Million Investment in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 44,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,096,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $9,688,000. Truist Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 8,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $802,000 after buying an additional 884 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $635,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 299,227 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,634,000 after buying an additional 1,404 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE EHC opened at $97.42 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $73.68 and a 12 month high of $104.55. The company has a 50-day moving average of $95.98 and a 200-day moving average of $95.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $9.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.25%.

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.