Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Position Boosted by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 197,900 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.20% of Encompass Health worth $18,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Essential Planning LLC. bought a new position in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter valued at $2,259,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 18,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,764 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 744,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,713,000 after purchasing an additional 70,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Taika Capital LP bought a new position in Encompass Health during the 4th quarter valued at $351,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $97.53 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $76.11 and a 1 year high of $104.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.05. The firm has a market cap of $9.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is 15.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.