First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Makes New $228,000 Investment in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $228,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Encompass Health by 387.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 53.0% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 58.9% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on EHC shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Encompass Health from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.67.

Encompass Health Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE:EHC opened at $95.75 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.88. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $93.03 and a 200 day moving average of $87.95. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $57.55 and a 52 week high of $98.74.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.88% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.38%.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was 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 owns 136,227 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.