Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 57.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,194,859 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 437,464 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 1.19% of Encompass Health worth $151,544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 170.9% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 29,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,800,000 after purchasing an additional 18,874 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 29,827 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,789,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. one8zero8 LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 4,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 9.5% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 9,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. Zacks Research cut Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.86.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EHC opened at $94.48 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $9.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.74. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.53 and a 1-year high of $127.99.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. Encompass Health had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 17.84%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Encompass Health

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.