Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 54,536 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 31.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 227,643 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 54,536 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.23% of Encompass Health worth $21,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EHC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Encompass Health by 87.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Encompass Health by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Encompass Health

In other news, CAO Andrew L. Price sold 5,042 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.29, for a total transaction of $495,578.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,164 shares in the company, valued at $6,798,129.56. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Trading Up 5.3 %

Shares of EHC stock opened at $103.14 on Thursday. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $78.53 and a fifty-two week high of $104.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $99.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.93.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.12. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EHC has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp upped their target price on Encompass Health from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of Encompass Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Encompass Health from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.67.

Encompass Health 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.