Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Encompass Health Corporation $EHC

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE:EHC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 6,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EHC. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Encompass Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Encompass Health by 36,200.0% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. 97.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EHC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised 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 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encompass Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Finally, TD Cowen increased 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encompass Health

In other news, EVP John Patrick Darby sold 8,906 shares of Encompass Health stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $9,451,413.95. The trade was a 10.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark J. Tarr sold 173,148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $33,602,622.58. This trade represents a 39.27% 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 company insiders.

Encompass Health Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:EHC opened at $120.51 on Tuesday. Encompass Health Corporation has a 12-month low of $92.77 and a 12-month high of $127.99. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $113.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.27. The firm has a market cap of $11.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.72.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.07. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 10.01%.The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. The company’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. Equities analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

Encompass Health Increases Dividend

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

Encompass Health 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.