Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Acquires 612 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 8.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,952 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EHC. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 37.4% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 2,592 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 6,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 4.2% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 100,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,276,000 after purchasing an additional 4,005 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 1.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,166,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $839,520,000 after purchasing an additional 169,113 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays increased their target price on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.11.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of EHC stock opened at $98.84 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $63.59 and a 52 week high of $104.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.87, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $96.38 and its 200-day moving average is $90.25.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 16.43%.

Encompass Health declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Encompass Health Company Profile

Encompass Health Corporation provides post-acute healthcare services in the United States and Puerto Rico. It owns and operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals that provide medical, nursing, therapy, and ancillary services. The company provides specialized rehabilitative treatment on an inpatient basis to patients who have experienced physical or cognitive disabilities or injuries due to medical conditions, such as strokes, hip fractures, and various debilitating neurological conditions.