Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM) Short Interest Update

Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,260,000 shares, an increase of 28.9% from the December 31st total of 2,530,000 shares. Approximately 3.1% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,020,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SEM has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Select Medical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Select Medical from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Benchmark downgraded Select Medical from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Select Medical currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $39.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Select Medical

In other news, VP Robert G. Breighner, Jr. sold 4,989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.95, for a total transaction of $99,530.55. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 30,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $605,602.20. This represents a 14.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Marilyn B. Tavenner sold 32,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.09, for a total value of $674,880.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $463,980. The trade was a 59.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 19.14% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Select Medical

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Select Medical in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Select Medical by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,313 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Select Medical during the third quarter worth about $81,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Select Medical in the third quarter valued at approximately $193,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Select Medical during the third quarter valued at approximately $210,000. 89.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Select Medical Price Performance

NYSE:SEM traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $19.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 746,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 825,310. 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 has a 52-week low of $18.02 and a 52-week high of $40.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.57 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.45. The business's 50-day moving average is $20.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.16.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The health services provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.07. Select Medical had a net margin of 3.97% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Select Medical will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Select Medical

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.

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