Franklin Resources Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 22.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 700,021 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 126,000 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.69% of Encompass Health worth $67,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 387.7% in the third 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 last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 53.0% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the third quarter worth $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 58.9% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $116.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $107.11.

Encompass Health Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE EHC traded down $0.78 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $96.94. The stock had a trading volume of 948,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 640,611. The stock has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.86. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $65.39 and a 1 year high of $104.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $99.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.70.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.43%.

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.