Virtus Advisers LLC Purchases New Stake in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $448,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EHC. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 2.0% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 4,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Gibson Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 4.3% during the first quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 2,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 31,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,308,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Encompass Health by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Leerink Partners set a $152.00 price objective on Encompass Health in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $148.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In related news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 8,906 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.95, for a total transaction of $1,121,710.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 75,041 shares in the company, valued at $9,451,413.95. This represents a 10.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 173,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.47, for a total value of $21,724,879.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 267,814 shares in the company, valued at $33,602,622.58. This trade represents a 39.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Price Performance

NYSE EHC opened at $120.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.93 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.72. Encompass Health Corporation has a 12-month low of $92.77 and a 12-month high of $127.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $110.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.29.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 18.08%. Encompass Health’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.38%.

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.