Magnetar Financial LLC Has $16.42 Million Stock Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Magnetar Financial LLC trimmed its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 70.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 177,820 shares of the company’s stock after selling 434,123 shares during the quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC owned about 0.18% of Encompass Health worth $16,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EHC. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 11.3% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Encompass Health during the third quarter worth $207,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Encompass Health by 3.5% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 7.8% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 101,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,789,000 after acquiring an additional 7,294 shares during the period. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 54.5% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 21,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,032,000 after acquiring an additional 7,412 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EHC. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Up 1.5 %

EHC opened at $99.10 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $97.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.06. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $76.11 and a twelve month high of $104.55. The firm has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 15.25%.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by 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.