Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Purchases 5,039 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 24.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,702 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,039 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Encompass Health were worth $2,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 3rd quarter worth about $68,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EHC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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 raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Encompass Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE:EHC traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $99.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 681,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 658,644. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $96.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $10.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. Encompass Health Co. has a 12-month low of $74.27 and a 12-month high of $104.55.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is 15.25%.

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.