Nordea Investment Management AB Acquires 4,714 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 94,514 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,714 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned approximately 0.09% of Encompass Health worth $8,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EHC. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 387.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter worth $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EHC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their price target on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group upped their price target on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price target (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.11.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC stock opened at $92.78 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $98.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health Co. has a 52-week low of $67.43 and a 52-week high of $104.55.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 16.43%.

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.