Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Stake Lowered by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board decreased its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,296 shares of the company’s stock after selling 781 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $1,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 644,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,544,000 after acquiring an additional 4,345 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in Encompass Health by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 3,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 4th quarter worth about $374,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp raised their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Encompass Health in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.67.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.9 %

Encompass Health stock opened at $102.30 on Wednesday. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $78.53 and a 1 year high of $104.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $99.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.11. The firm has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.