U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $97.50.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on USPH. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $98.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Barrington Research reduced their price objective on U.S. Physical Therapy from $103.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Peter Francis Minan purchased 492 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $63.14 per share, for a total transaction of $31,064.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $184,558.22. This represents a 20.24% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 77.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 317,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,946,000 after buying an additional 138,194 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 364,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,603,000 after acquiring an additional 114,618 shares during the period. 4D Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the third quarter valued at about $9,344,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 607.2% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 69,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,453,000 after acquiring an additional 59,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 106.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 109,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,331,000 after acquiring an additional 56,752 shares during the period.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Down 0.5%

U.S. Physical Therapy stock opened at $74.39 on Thursday. U.S. Physical Therapy has a one year low of $58.19 and a one year high of $93.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $66.75 and a 200 day moving average of $74.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 148.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.15.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.09). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 4.36%.The firm had revenue of $198.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $200.94 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is currently 368.00%.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc (NYSE: USPH) is a leading owner and operator of outpatient physical therapy clinics across the United States. The company delivers rehabilitative care to patients recovering from orthopedic injuries, neurological disorders and chronic conditions. Its core services include one-on-one physical therapy sessions, aquatic therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy and sports medicine programs designed to restore mobility and enhance quality of life.

In addition to traditional rehabilitation services, U.S.