Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Sells 36,346 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board trimmed its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC - Free Report) by 65.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,077 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,346 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Encompass Health were worth $1,844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Encompass Health by 53.0% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE EHC traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $98.90. The stock had a trading volume of 678,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,374. The company's 50 day moving average price is $96.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health Co. has a twelve month low of $63.78 and a twelve month high of $104.55. The firm has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.43%.

Encompass Health announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.