SPC Financial Inc. Purchases 487 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

SPC Financial Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 1.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,399 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the period. SPC Financial Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $3,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,997,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,002,000 after purchasing an additional 450,081 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,215,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,156,000 after acquiring an additional 449,230 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 239.6% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,969,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,384,000 after acquiring an additional 1,389,275 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,928,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,666,000 after acquiring an additional 120,527 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,791,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,530,000 after acquiring an additional 104,847 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC traded up $1.13 on Thursday, hitting $85.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,038,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 637,352. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $57.55 and a 12 month high of $87.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.55.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.19. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.60% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders 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 Monday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on EHC shares. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $95.00 target price (up from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total transaction of $3,745,151.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,139,740.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.02, for a total transaction of $850,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,580,861.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,519 shares of company stock worth $5,816,091 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.