Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Increases Stake in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 28.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 267,658 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 59,202 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned approximately 0.27% of Encompass Health worth $28,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Encompass Health in the second quarter worth approximately $139,536,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 140.0% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,223,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,430,000 after purchasing an additional 713,738 shares in the last quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $78,644,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,515,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,567,000 after purchasing an additional 476,564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 437,464 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other Encompass Health news, Treasurer Edmund Fay sold 11,937 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total value of $1,277,259.00. Following the completion of the sale, the treasurer owned 89,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,557,775. The trade was a 11.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.64, for a total value of $16,746,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 377,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,096,094.80. The trade was a 28.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on EHC. Wall Street Zen raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Barclays upped their price objective on Encompass Health from $150.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $143.29.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $97.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.30. The stock has a market cap of $9.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.71. Encompass Health Corporation has a 12-month low of $92.77 and a 12-month high of $127.99.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.17. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.54% and a return on equity of 18.20%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.810-6.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 13.72%.

Encompass Health Profile

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.