U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Short Interest Update

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 454,200 shares, a decline of 15.7% from the February 28th total of 538,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 105,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days. Approximately 3.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

USPH has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities began coverage on U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $113.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered U.S. Physical Therapy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Barrington Research lowered their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned 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.com, U.S. Physical Therapy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock opened at $72.43 on Tuesday. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 52 week low of $69.99 and a 52 week high of $113.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 77.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.51. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $82.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.52.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $180.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.10 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. This is a boost from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is presently 97.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total value of $142,050.30. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 7,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $588,564.48. This trade represents a 19.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 3,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $113,000.

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.