SPC Financial Inc. Sells 541 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

SPC Financial Inc. trimmed its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 46,858 shares of the company’s stock after selling 541 shares during the period. SPC Financial Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $4,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Encompass Health by 192.3% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the second quarter valued at $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 58.9% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 31.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the second quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 $11,761,839.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.7 %

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

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

Encompass Health declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. 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. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 18.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on EHC shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Encompass Health from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.88.

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.