Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Sold by Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 62.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,295 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,501 shares during the quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EHC. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 53.0% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Down 2.3 %

EHC stock opened at $98.85 on Monday. Encompass Health Co. has a 52 week low of $63.59 and a 52 week high of $104.55. The company has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.88, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.35.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

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

Encompass Health Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EHC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research report 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.