DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Sells 468 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale trimmed its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 4.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,193 shares of the company’s stock after selling 468 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 1.5% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,271,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Tectonic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 4.6% in the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the third quarter worth $4,241,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health in the third quarter worth $203,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 1.0% in the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,284,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,139,000 after purchasing an additional 12,433 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 136,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,761,839.18. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of EHC opened at $98.91 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Encompass Health Co. has a 12-month low of $62.58 and a 12-month high of $102.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.95 billion, a PE ratio of 23.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 8.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 16.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on EHC. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Leerink Partnrs raised Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.11.

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.