Inspire Investing LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Inspire Investing LLC reduced its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,010 shares of the company’s stock after selling 548 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $3,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.3% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.5% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 8,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $712,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% during the first quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 12,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 31.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 3.9% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on EHC. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $113.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $104.22.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $95.97 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $57.55 and a one year high of $97.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company’s fifty day moving average is $91.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.48, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.10. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.88% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 17.35%.

Encompass Health declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Douglas E. Coltharp sold 12,260 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total value of $1,058,528.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,227 shares in the company, valued at $11,761,839.18. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.