Sapience Investments LLC Has $563,000 Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Sapience Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,101 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,885 shares during the quarter. Sapience Investments LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new position in Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE EHC opened at $120.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.91. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $82.74 and a one year high of $121.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business’s fifty day moving average is $105.43 and its 200-day moving average is $100.74.

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

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on EHC shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 11th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.79, for a total value 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 trade represents a 11.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Elissa Joy Charbonneau sold 4,279 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.61, for a total value of $498,974.19. Following the completion of 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. Company 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.