Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 192.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,515 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 997 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 5.1% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,818,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $589,326,000 after acquiring an additional 282,532 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 25.6% in the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,080,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,756,000 after acquiring an additional 424,691 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 5.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,871,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $189,549,000 after acquiring an additional 93,992 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 13.1% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,822,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,571,000 after acquiring an additional 211,707 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 11.9% in the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,541,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,121,000 after acquiring an additional 163,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Encompass Health

In other news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 1,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.59, for a total value of $126,061.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,329,177.14. This represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $123.63 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.73. Encompass Health Corporation has a one year low of $87.85 and a one year high of $124.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.86.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.20. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Encompass Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.340 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on EHC shares. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Encompass Health from an “overweight” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $134.00.

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.