KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Buys New Position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 20,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,893,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 43.8% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the third quarter worth about $68,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com upgraded 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.67.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 69,164 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Price Performance

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $101.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of 22.69, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $98.55 and a 200 day moving average of $97.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $78.53 and a 12 month high of $104.55.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid 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 dividend yield of 0.67%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

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.