AlphaQuest LLC Buys 18,874 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,916 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,874 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $3,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EHC. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,039,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $250,081,000 after purchasing an additional 129,276 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,773,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,526,000 after purchasing an additional 8,765 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 31.5% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,143,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,245,000 after buying an additional 274,142 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the second quarter worth about $139,536,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Encompass Health by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,031,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,486,000 after buying an additional 212,435 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research cut shares of Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $142.86.

Encompass Health Stock Down 1.3%

EHC opened at $94.44 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $106.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.99. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.53 and a 1-year high of $127.99. The stock has a market cap of $9.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 17.84%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.