Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Buys Shares of 145,120 Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. purchased a new position in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 145,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,669,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 73.3% during the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 89.6% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 36,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the second quarter worth about $56,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EHC. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Encompass Health from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.71.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE EHC opened at $123.58 on Monday. Encompass Health Corporation has a 52 week low of $92.77 and a 52 week high of $127.99. The stock has a market cap of $12.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.53.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.07. Encompass Health had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 18.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.250 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 173,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.47, for a total value of $21,724,879.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 267,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,602,622.58. This represents a 39.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 8,906 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.95, for a total transaction of $1,121,710.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,451,413.95. The trade was a 10.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

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.