U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Trading Down 4.8% – Here’s Why

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)’s share price was down 4.8% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $78.68 and last traded at $78.8050. Approximately 175,878 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 215,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on USPH. 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. Citizens Jmp restated 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 report on Friday, May 29th. Barrington Research boosted their price target on U.S. Physical Therapy from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 473.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.03.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.06). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 9.39% and a net margin of 3.97%.The firm had revenue of $214.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $211.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 1,082.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Peter Francis Minan purchased 492 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.14 per share, for a total transaction of $31,064.88. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,558.22. The trade was a 20.24% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 370,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,949,000 after buying an additional 24,848 shares in the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP grew its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 582.7% during the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 41,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,224,000 after acquiring an additional 35,237 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 172.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 28,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,239,000 after purchasing an additional 18,159 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 836,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,729,000 after acquiring an additional 50,717 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 23.4% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 76,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,769,000 after purchasing an additional 14,582 shares during the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company Profile

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.