Crestline Management LP Makes New $211,000 Investment in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Crestline Management LP acquired a new position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Encompass Health by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,404,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $960,817,000 after acquiring an additional 138,196 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Encompass Health by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,536,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $511,273,000 after acquiring an additional 176,135 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Encompass Health by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,076,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,799,000 after acquiring an additional 117,617 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in Encompass Health by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,973,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,285,000 after acquiring an additional 15,831 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,679,774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,176,000 after purchasing an additional 6,164 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EHC has been the topic of several research reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $120.86.

Encompass Health Price Performance

EHC stock opened at $116.45 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $82.74 and a one year high of $118.27. The stock has a market cap of $11.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $103.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.99.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.18. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.05%.

Insider Activity

In other Encompass Health news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total transaction of $1,147,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 79,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,149,910.90. This represents a 11.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total transaction of $498,974.19. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,394,422.38. The trade was a 26.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,321 shares of company stock valued at $2,142,452. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health 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.