U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $87.72, but opened at $82.09. U.S. Physical Therapy shares last traded at $79.47, with a volume of 23,720 shares changing hands.

The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.04). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. The firm had revenue of $180.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $173.10 million.

U.S. Physical Therapy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is currently 187.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on U.S. Physical Therapy from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America raised U.S. Physical Therapy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $100.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, U.S. Physical Therapy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $114.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Carey P. Hendrickson sold 516 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.25, for a total value of $49,665.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,970,141.25. This represents a 2.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 35,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,172,000 after purchasing an additional 9,395 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,229,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 33.4% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 10,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 2,730 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 30,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,741,000 after buying an additional 10,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Snowden Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $88.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.50, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.48.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company Profile

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc operates outpatient physical therapy clinics. The company operates through Physical Therapy Operations and Industrial Injury Prevention Services segments. The company provides pre-and post-operative care and treatment for orthopedic-related disorders, sports-related injuries, preventative care, rehabilitation of injured workers, and neurological-related injuries.