Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 156,938 Shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 26.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 760,496 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 156,938 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Encompass Health were worth $73,494,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Encompass Health by 387.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Encompass Health by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Encompass Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Encompass Health by 58.9% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Encompass Health in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $58,000. 97.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their target price on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Encompass Health presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.11.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

NYSE:EHC opened at $98.85 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Encompass Health Co. has a 1 year low of $63.59 and a 1 year high of $104.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $96.38 and a 200-day moving average of $90.35.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. Encompass Health had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 8.10%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encompass Health declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.43%.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health Corporation provides post-acute healthcare services in the United States and Puerto Rico. It owns and operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals that provide medical, nursing, therapy, and ancillary services. The company provides specialized rehabilitative treatment on an inpatient basis to patients who have experienced physical or cognitive disabilities or injuries due to medical conditions, such as strokes, hip fractures, and various debilitating neurological conditions.