Jefferies Financial Group Upgrades U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) to Strong-Buy

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on U.S. Physical Therapy from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, U.S. Physical Therapy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Down 2.5%

USPH stock opened at $77.86 on Thursday. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 52 week low of $62.77 and a 52 week high of $93.50. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 54.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.67. The business had revenue of $202.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $200.10 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 5.07% and a return on equity of 8.75%. The business’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard Binstein sold 3,000 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.64, for a total value of $244,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,030,141.88. This trade represents a 10.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 662 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.86, for a total transaction of $52,205.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 30,078 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,951.08. This trade represents a 2.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of USPH. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 58,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,569,000 after purchasing an additional 4,932 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 97.5% during the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 14,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,147,000 after buying an additional 7,252 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 108,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,472,000 after buying an additional 20,581 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 579.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 19,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,520,000 after buying an additional 16,602 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter valued at about $439,000.

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.