Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB Reduces Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB lowered its holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 56,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB owned about 0.06% of Encompass Health worth $5,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 2,870.0% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 7,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,000 after buying an additional 7,089 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 644,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,544,000 after purchasing an additional 4,345 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,673,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,781,000 after purchasing an additional 20,547 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 3,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter worth about $374,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Down 3.7 %

EHC stock opened at $98.14 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $99.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.67. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 15.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.