John Patrick Darby Sells 4,858 Shares of Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) Stock

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) EVP John Patrick Darby sold 4,858 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.09, for a total transaction of $588,255.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 75,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,086,714.69. The trade was a 6.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

John Patrick Darby also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 10th, John Patrick Darby sold 8,906 shares of Encompass Health stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.95, for a total value of $1,121,710.70.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE EHC opened at $121.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $11.94 billion, a PE ratio of 19.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.75. Encompass Health Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.77 and a 1-year high of $127.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $114.45 and a 200-day moving average of $107.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 10.01%.Encompass Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encompass Health

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in Encompass Health by 2.0% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 4,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Gibson Capital LLC grew its stake in Encompass Health by 4.3% in the first quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 2,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 31,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,308,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Encompass Health by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. 97.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EHC. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Encompass Health from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.71.

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.