Legal & General Group Plc Buys Shares of 142,515 Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 142,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,405,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.14% of Encompass Health at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Encompass Health during the second quarter worth $36,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 89.6% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of Encompass Health by 36,200.0% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.1%

EHC opened at $120.98 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $11.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.19. Encompass Health Corporation has a 52 week low of $92.77 and a 52 week high of $127.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This is a positive change from Encompass Health’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is currently 12.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EHC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Encompass Health from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.