Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. cut its position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 100,770 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,241 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $9,306,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 43.8% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter worth about $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of EHC opened at $100.27 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a 12-month low of $73.68 and a 12-month high of $104.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $96.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

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.