Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $8.19 Million Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 22.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 88,696 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,410 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $8,191,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EHC. AXA S.A. increased its position in Encompass Health by 132.6% during the 4th quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 66,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,175,000 after purchasing an additional 38,117 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 17,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,612,000 after buying an additional 749 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth $19,572,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 1,001.3% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 32,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,961,000 after buying an additional 29,149 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Encompass Health by 136.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 689,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,648,000 after acquiring an additional 398,154 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC opened at $116.73 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $82.74 and a 1-year high of $117.52. The company has a market cap of $11.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.17, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $101.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.25.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In related news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total transaction of $1,147,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 79,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,149,910.90. This represents a 11.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $116.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Monday, April 28th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.86.

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.