JPMorgan Chase & Co. Reduces Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,822,646 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,075 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $168,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Encompass Health by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,404,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $960,817,000 after buying an additional 138,196 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,025,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,410,000 after acquiring an additional 21,329 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,673,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,781,000 after purchasing an additional 20,547 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,293,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,418,000 after purchasing an additional 8,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 888,827 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,083,000 after purchasing an additional 128,331 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.0 %

Encompass Health stock opened at $101.27 on Wednesday. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $78.53 and a one year high of $104.55. The business’s fifty day moving average is $98.92 and its 200 day moving average is $97.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.