Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC – Get Rating) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 391,167 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,338 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $23,396,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. CWM LLC increased its position in Encompass Health by 67.6% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 625 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.4 %

Encompass Health stock opened at $61.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Encompass Health Co. has a 1-year low of $44.33 and a 1-year high of $66.44. The company has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 22.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $59.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.80.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 28th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 16.80% and a net margin of 5.75%. Encompass Health’s quarterly revenue was down 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Encompass Health Co. will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 30th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on EHC. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $66.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on Encompass Health in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on Encompass Health from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 4th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Encompass Health from $69.00 to $74.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on Encompass Health from $62.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.91.

About Encompass Health

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Encompass Health Corp. engages in the provision of post-acute healthcare services. It operates through the Inpatient Rehabilitation and Home Health and Hospice segments. The Inpatient Rehabilitation segment operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals that provide rehabilitative treatment and care to patients who are recovering from stroke and other neurological disorders, cardiac and pulmonary conditions, brain and spinal cord injuries, complex orthopedic conditions and amputations.