Fmr LLC Boosts Stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Fmr LLC grew its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,973,846 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,831 shares during the period. Fmr LLC owned 1.96% of Encompass Health worth $182,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EHC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,404,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $960,817,000 after purchasing an additional 138,196 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,076,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,799,000 after purchasing an additional 117,617 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,679,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,176,000 after buying an additional 6,164 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its position in Encompass Health by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,293,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,418,000 after acquiring an additional 8,548 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth about $100,637,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Encompass Health stock opened at $102.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $78.53 and a 52 week high of $104.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $99.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.02.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced 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 net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EHC. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.