John Patrick Darby Sells 8,906 Shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Stock

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) EVP John Patrick Darby sold 8,906 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.95, for a total transaction of $1,121,710.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,451,413.95. The trade was a 10.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

EHC stock opened at $124.50 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $108.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Encompass Health Corporation has a 12 month low of $92.77 and a 12 month high of $127.99.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.40 EPS. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is a boost from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EHC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on Encompass Health from $140.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Encompass Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encompass Health has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EHC. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter worth $1,059,762,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 3,059,159.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,793,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,640,000 after buying an additional 3,793,358 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter valued at about $133,221,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Encompass Health during the second quarter worth about $116,352,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Encompass Health by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,805,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $510,047,000 after acquiring an additional 948,202 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Encompass Health

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.