Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Buys 16,594 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 15.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 126,149 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,594 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.13% of Encompass Health worth $16,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EHC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $139,536,000. 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the second quarter worth $78,644,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Encompass Health by 57.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,194,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,544,000 after buying an additional 437,464 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the second quarter valued at $34,719,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 31.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,143,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,245,000 after acquiring an additional 274,142 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Price Performance

NYSE EHC opened at $106.89 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $103.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.71. The company has a market cap of $10.63 billion, a PE ratio of 19.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.71. Encompass Health Corporation has a 52 week low of $92.53 and a 52 week high of $127.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 9.54%.The company’s revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.17 earnings per share. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.810-6.100 EPS. Research analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 13.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on EHC. Zacks Research lowered Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Encompass Health from $150.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $143.29.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In related news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 150,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.64, for a total transaction of $16,746,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 377,070 shares in the company, valued at $42,096,094.80. This represents a 28.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.