Legal & General Group Plc Cuts Position in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Legal & General Group Plc lessened its holdings in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 157,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 30,221 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $16,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 56.7% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 88.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 73.3% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 36,200.0% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.56, for a total transaction of $71,309.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,755 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,382.80. This represents a 2.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Treasurer Edmund Fay sold 11,937 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total value of $1,277,259.00. Following the transaction, the treasurer owned 89,325 shares in the company, valued at $9,557,775. This trade represents a 11.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of Encompass Health stock opened at $102.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.28. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.77 and a 1-year high of $127.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 10.04%.The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.890-6.110 EPS. Analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 5.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on EHC. Leerink Partners set a $152.00 target price on Encompass Health in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays dropped their price target on Encompass Health from $153.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.75.

Encompass Health Profile

Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.