Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Acquired by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 24.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,702 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,039 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $2,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp increased its position in Encompass Health by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,025,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,410,000 after acquiring an additional 21,329 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 1.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,673,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,781,000 after purchasing an additional 20,547 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,293,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,418,000 after purchasing an additional 8,548 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Encompass Health by 2,458.5% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 869,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,990,000 after buying an additional 835,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 769,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,083,000 after buying an additional 2,904 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised 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. StockNews.com raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Stock Up 1.1 %

EHC stock opened at $100.27 on Friday. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.20. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $73.68 and a 12 month high of $104.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 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%. Equities 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 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.