William Blair Investment Management LLC Raises Position in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 915,920 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 112,637 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $97,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of EHC. WPG Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 73.3% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Encompass Health by 56.7% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Encompass Health by 88.1% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Encompass Health during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Encompass Health Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of EHC stock opened at $105.04 on Friday. Encompass Health Corporation has a 12 month low of $92.77 and a 12 month high of $127.99. The stock has a market cap of $10.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $102.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.81.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Encompass Health had a net margin of 10.04% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Encompass Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.890-6.110 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Encompass Health Corporation will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $153.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $152.00 price objective on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encompass Health news, Treasurer Edmund Fay sold 11,937 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total transaction of $1,277,259.00. Following the completion of the sale, the treasurer directly owned 89,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,557,775. This represents a 11.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Patrick William Tuer sold 682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.56, for a total transaction of $71,309.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,382.80. This represents a 2.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Encompass Health Company Profile

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.