Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) CEO Sells $3,745,151.52 in Stock

Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 44,976 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.27, for a total transaction of $3,745,151.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,139,740.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Shares of EHC opened at $83.21 on Friday. Encompass Health Co. has a one year low of $57.55 and a one year high of $85.84. The company has a 50-day moving average of $78.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.41. The stock has a market cap of $8.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.19. Encompass Health had a net margin of 7.60% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 1.5% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 8,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 1.2% during the first quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 12,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $997,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Encompass Health by 0.5% during the first quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Encompass Health by 31.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on EHC. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $90.29.

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.