JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 69,075 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,822,646 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,075 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 1.81% of Encompass Health worth $168,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 38.7% in the 4th 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. Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 43.8% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $68,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC stock opened at $101.27 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $98.92 and a 200-day moving average of $97.58. The firm has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. Encompass Health Co. has a 12-month low of $78.53 and a 12-month high of $104.55. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encompass Health news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was 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 owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EHC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.67.

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.