Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 16.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,286 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,022 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Encompass Health worth $6,986,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 387.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 58.9% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE:EHC traded up $0.08 on Wednesday, hitting $102.69. The stock had a trading volume of 477,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,013. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $95.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.98. The stock has a market cap of $10.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.88. Encompass Health Co. has a 52-week low of $63.59 and a 52-week high of $104.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on EHC. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $116.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.11.

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.