Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Purchases 17,902 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its position in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 12.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 160,137 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,902 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $15,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,166,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $839,520,000 after purchasing an additional 169,113 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 3.9% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 61,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,037,000 after buying an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Natixis increased its holdings in Encompass Health by 163.1% in the 1st quarter. Natixis now owns 855 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE EHC opened at $98.90 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $63.78 and a 1-year high of $104.55. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.88.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 16.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on EHC. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays increased their price target on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.11.

Encompass Health Company 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.