Great Lakes Advisors LLC Sells 2,675 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 256,270 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,675 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.25% of Encompass Health worth $21,985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at about $682,000. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $345,000. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.8% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 28,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,405,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 94,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,064,000 after buying an additional 12,495 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value 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 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.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EHC traded down $1.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $91.66. 382,700 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 639,936. Encompass Health Co. has a twelve month low of $57.55 and a twelve month high of $94.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $88.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.03. 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 posted its earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. 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. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on EHC. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.