Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Purchases 39,445 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its position in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 26.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 187,701 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,445 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $18,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EHC. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 12,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,238,000 after buying an additional 1,102 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $557,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Encompass Health by 23.5% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 117,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,386,000 after buying an additional 22,368 shares in the last quarter. Eversept Partners LP raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 81.5% during the first quarter. Eversept Partners LP now owns 194,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,776,000 after acquiring an additional 87,178 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 34.5% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 98,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,547,000 after acquiring an additional 25,335 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encompass Health news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 682 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.56, for a total value of $71,309.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,755 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,382.80. The trade was a 2.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EHC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Encompass Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Barclays dropped their price target on Encompass Health from $153.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $152.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.86.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC opened at $111.27 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $105.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.74. Encompass Health Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $92.77 and a fifty-two week high of $127.99.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 10.04%.The business had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is an increase from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.69%.

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.