Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM) Short Interest Up 17.3% in February

Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 4,470,000 shares, an increase of 17.3% from the February 13th total of 3,810,000 shares. Approximately 4.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,040,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Select Medical Trading Up 0.4 %

SEM stock traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $16.63. 115,073 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 754,910. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.56. The business has a 50 day moving average of $18.59 and a 200-day moving average of $25.56. Select Medical has a 52-week low of $16.20 and a 52-week high of $40.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The health services provider reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.11). Select Medical had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 14.04%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Select Medical will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Select Medical Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Select Medical's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on SEM shares. StockNews.com upgraded Select Medical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Select Medical from $47.00 to $23.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Benchmark raised shares of Select Medical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $23.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $27.25.

Institutional Trading of Select Medical

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Select Medical in the 4th quarter worth $29,556,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Select Medical by 2,552.7% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,596,414 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $30,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536,234 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Select Medical by 404.8% during the 4th quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 1,755,733 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $33,096,000 after acquiring an additional 1,407,902 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Select Medical by 144.2% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,059,791 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $71,825,000 after purchasing an additional 1,216,263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Select Medical by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,643,943 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $49,838,000 after purchasing an additional 864,852 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.48% of the company's stock.

Select Medical Company Profile

Select Medical Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and occupational health centers in the United States. It operates in four segments: Critical Illness Recovery Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital, Outpatient Rehabilitation, and Concentra.