U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Given Market Outperform Rating at JMP Securities

JMP Securities restated their market outperform rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Free Report) in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $113.00 price target on the stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on USPH. William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. 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 on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Barrington Research reduced 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 report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered U.S. Physical Therapy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE USPH traded up $1.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $70.78. 81,078 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 107,158. The business's 50 day moving average is $74.63 and its 200-day moving average is $84.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.78. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 12-month low of $62.77 and a 12-month high of $108.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.38.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $180.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This is a boost from U.S. Physical Therapy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. U.S. Physical Therapy's payout ratio is 97.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total transaction of $142,050.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $588,564.48. This represents a 19.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in USPH. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 326 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 704 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 34.6% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,030 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,000.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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.