Fifth Third Bancorp Acquires 1,493 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 34.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,783 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,493 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $993,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Encompass Health from an “overweight” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seven have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.43.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EHC opened at $126.78 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.84. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1-year low of $87.85 and a 1-year high of $127.86. The firm has a market cap of $12.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.20. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 9.22%.The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.11 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Encompass Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.340 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.31%.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In related news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 1,020 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.59, for a total transaction of $126,061.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,846 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,177.14. The trade was a 5.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.