Hurley Capital LLC Buys Shares of 20,226 Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 20,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,844,000. Encompass Health makes up about 1.5% of Hurley Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Encompass Health by 87.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter worth about $68,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of EHC stock opened at $98.14 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $78.53 and a 1-year high of $104.55. The company has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.67.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on EHC shares. Barclays raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.67.

Insider Activity

In other Encompass Health 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 value of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company 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.