Encompass Health Corporation $EHC Holdings Lessened by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its position in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 861,915 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68,415 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $104,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EHC. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,059,762,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Encompass Health by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,674,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,013,000 after buying an additional 50,647 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in Encompass Health by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,182,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,390,000 after buying an additional 18,740 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $116,352,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 892,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,363,000 after acquiring an additional 128,120 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

NYSE:EHC opened at $137.28 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Encompass Health Corporation has a 52 week low of $92.77 and a 52 week high of $138.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $123.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $110.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.54 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.74.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.60 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.62% and a net margin of 10.17%. Encompass Health’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 4th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 4th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 13.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $147.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Mizuho set a $155.00 price target on Encompass Health in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 173,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.47, for a total transaction of $21,724,879.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 267,814 shares in the company, valued at $33,602,622.58. This trade represents a 39.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John Darby sold 4,858 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.09, for a total transaction of $588,255.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,041 shares in the company, valued at $9,086,714.69. This represents a 6.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 186,912 shares of company stock valued at $23,434,845 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Company Profile

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) is a healthcare services company that operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the United States and Puerto Rico. Its hospitals provide intensive rehabilitation to patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, neurological disorders, amputations, hip fractures and other serious illnesses or injuries.

The company’s services typically include nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, respiratory therapy and medical management.