Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Bought by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 24.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,702 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,039 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $2,374,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EHC. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Encompass Health by 3.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 87.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on EHC shares. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of EHC opened at $100.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health Co. has a 12-month low of $73.68 and a 12-month high of $104.55. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $96.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.