87,907 Shares in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Bought by Madison Investment Advisors LLC

Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 87,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,118,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, SPC Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 45,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,163,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,798,129.56. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on EHC shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised their price target on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.7 %

EHC opened at $93.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $74.27 and a 12 month high of $104.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $97.25 and a 200 day moving average of $96.86.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released 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 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 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.