UMB Bank n.a. Raises Stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 387.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 317 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $31,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health by 58.9% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EHC. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays decreased their price target on Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $104.67.

Encompass Health Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of EHC opened at $96.35 on Wednesday. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $57.55 and a 1-year high of $97.56. The company has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $92.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.54.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 7.88% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.38%.

Encompass Health declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $11,761,839.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Encompass Health 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.