Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Purchased by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,968 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 875 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,378,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,265,000 after buying an additional 274,192 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter worth approximately $152,953,000. MGO One Seven LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 4,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Encompass Health by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,610,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,746,000 after purchasing an additional 300,386 shares during the period. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 7,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Up 11.8 %

EHC stock opened at $113.33 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $100.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.41, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Encompass Health Co. has a fifty-two week low of $82.09 and a fifty-two week high of $114.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.88.

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.