Nicholas Company Inc. Trims Stock Position in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Nicholas Company Inc. lowered its position in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,433 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,305 shares during the period. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $8,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EHC. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC grew its stake in Encompass Health by 73.3% during the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Encompass Health by 56.7% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in Encompass Health by 88.1% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.64, for a total value of $16,746,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 377,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,096,094.80. The trade was a 28.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Treasurer Edmund Fay sold 11,937 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total transaction of $1,277,259.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer directly owned 89,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,557,775. This represents a 11.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on EHC shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $153.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.17.

Encompass Health Price Performance

EHC stock opened at $106.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Encompass Health Corporation has a one year low of $92.77 and a one year high of $127.99. The stock has a market cap of $10.54 billion, a PE ratio of 17.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $103.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.07.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a net margin of 10.04% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.890-6.110 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s payout ratio 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.