Cwm LLC Acquires 5,291 Shares of Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Cwm LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 41.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,139 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,291 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $2,304,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encompass Health in the second quarter worth about $210,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the second quarter valued at $34,719,000. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 14.8% in the second quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 288,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,345,000 after purchasing an additional 37,161 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 21,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,160,000 after buying an additional 3,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Encompass Health by 28.5% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 9,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 2,030 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on EHC shares. Zacks Research downgraded Encompass Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Encompass Health from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Encompass Health to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.86.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of EHC stock opened at $106.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Encompass Health Corporation has a one year low of $87.85 and a one year high of $127.99. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $112.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.49. The company has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.74.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 16th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 9.33%.The company had revenue of $136.30 million for the quarter. Encompass Health has set its FY22 guidance at $3.83-$4.19 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 14.37%.

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.