Alliancebernstein L.P. Purchases 117,617 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,076,869 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 117,617 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 2.06% of Encompass Health worth $191,799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 38.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 38,397 shares of the company's stock worth $3,711,000 after acquiring an additional 10,591 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the third quarter valued at $405,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 62.0% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,095 shares of the company's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 6,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,707 shares during the period. Finally, Cinctive Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 38,381 shares of the company's stock worth $3,709,000 after buying an additional 9,626 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on EHC shares. StockNews.com lowered Encompass Health from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Price Performance

Encompass Health stock traded down $3.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $98.14. 1,218,251 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 646,649. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $99.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.71. The stock has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $78.53 and a one year high of $104.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 8.48%. On average, equities analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.25%.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total value of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

About Encompass Health

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.