Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Select Medical from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Benchmark cut Select Medical from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $39.50.

Select Medical Stock Performance

Shares of SEM stock traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $18.65. The stock had a trading volume of 1,394,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,097,669. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $26.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Select Medical has a one year low of $18.02 and a one year high of $40.98. The firm has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of 8.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.45.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The health services provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. Select Medical had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 3.97%. Select Medical's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Select Medical will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Select Medical

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SEM. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Select Medical during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Select Medical during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in Select Medical during the second quarter worth approximately $60,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Select Medical by 16.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,313 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Select Medical in the third quarter valued at approximately $81,000. 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.