Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Sold by Inspire Investing LLC

Inspire Investing LLC lessened its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 2.6% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 33,558 shares of the company’s stock after selling 912 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $2,879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of EHC stock opened at $92.44 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $9.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $57.55 and a 52 week high of $94.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.08.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is 18.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EHC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $100.38.

Insider Activity

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 136,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.