Axa S.A. Buys 1,945 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Axa S.A. grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 9.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,567 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,945 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $1,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of EHC. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Encompass Health by 192.3% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 58.9% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 31.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total transaction of $1,058,528.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on EHC shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $102.88.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $96.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.88. Encompass Health Co. has a twelve month low of $57.55 and a twelve month high of $97.56. The company’s fifty day moving average is $91.21 and its 200 day moving average is $86.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.38%.

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.