Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Acquires 29,927 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 262.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,315 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,927 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $2,757,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $20,210,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 364.4% in the fourth quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $928,000 after acquiring an additional 10,915 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,318,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,989,000 after acquiring an additional 29,926 shares during the last quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 112.4% in the fourth quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. now owns 99,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,664,000 after acquiring an additional 52,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,150,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,786,000 after acquiring an additional 175,975 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 14,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.94, for a total value of $1,220,739.42. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 84,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,115,845.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total value of $3,745,151.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,139,740.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 14,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.94, for a total transaction of $1,220,739.42. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 84,773 shares in the company, valued at $7,115,845.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $85.49. 52,655 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 639,416. The stock has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.92. Encompass Health Co. has a 52-week low of $57.55 and a 52-week high of $87.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $81.83 and its 200 day moving average is $73.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.19. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.60% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 earnings per share. Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $95.00 price objective (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.00.

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.