Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 2,537 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 76.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,837 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,537 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $100,637,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at $77,944,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $52,094,000. abrdn plc purchased a new position in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $17,846,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,404,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $960,817,000 after acquiring an additional 138,196 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Encompass Health news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC opened at $96.19 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $79.26 and a 1-year high of $104.55. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.30. The firm has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.57, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EHC. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

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.