Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Sold by Schroder Investment Management Group

Schroder Investment Management Group lowered its stake in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 576,716 shares of the company's stock after selling 140,431 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 0.57% of Encompass Health worth $53,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company's stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,380 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 704 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Encompass Health by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on EHC shares. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Encompass Health from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $107.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Encompass Health Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE:EHC traded down $3.73 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $98.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,218,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 646,649. 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 current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $99.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.71.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors 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 yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.