Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Sells 715 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. decreased its holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,416 shares of the company’s stock after selling 715 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $1,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 2,302.7% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 603,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,780,000 after purchasing an additional 578,438 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Encompass Health by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 259,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,250,000 after buying an additional 14,396 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 58.9% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter worth $1,696,000. Finally, Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter worth $3,025,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE EHC opened at $92.65 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $57.55 and a 1 year high of $94.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.10. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 7.88%. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 18.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total transaction of $1,058,528.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at $11,761,839.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on EHC shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on Encompass Health from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Leerink Partners began coverage on Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.38.

Encompass Health Company 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.