Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Sold by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 199,839 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,429 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.20% of Encompass Health worth $18,455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at $100,637,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at about $77,944,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,094,000. abrdn plc bought a new stake in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,846,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,536,251 shares of the company's stock worth $511,273,000 after acquiring an additional 176,135 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Encompass Health Trading Up 0.5 %

EHC stock traded up $0.53 during trading on Friday, hitting $103.53. The company had a trading volume of 1,002,397 shares, compared to its average volume of 666,960. Encompass Health Co. has a 52-week low of $78.65 and a 52-week high of $104.55. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.