Heartland Advisors Inc. Makes New $424,000 Investment in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Heartland Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $424,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Encompass Health by 3,059,159.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,793,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,640,000 after acquiring an additional 3,793,358 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,881,000. Systematic Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 440,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,782,000 after purchasing an additional 15,462 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC now owns 217,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,424,000 after purchasing an additional 11,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 2,468.6% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 11,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 11,084 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 8,906 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.95, for a total transaction of $1,121,710.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,451,413.95. The trade was a 10.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 173,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.47, for a total transaction of $21,724,879.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 267,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,602,622.58. The trade was a 39.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Encompass Health from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Encompass Health from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.71.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.6%

Encompass Health stock opened at $120.24 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.38. 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 12 month low of $92.77 and a 12 month high of $127.99. The stock has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.72.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 10.01%.Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.40 EPS. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.09 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is presently 12.38%.

Encompass Health Company 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.