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

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

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Benchmark downgraded shares of Select Medical from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $39.50.

Select Medical Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SEM traded up $0.69 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $20.36. 1,100,385 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 844,624. The stock has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.51, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.45. Select Medical has a twelve month low of $18.02 and a twelve month high of $40.98. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert G. Breighner, Jr. sold 4,989 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.95, for a total value of $99,530.55. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 30,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $605,602.20. This trade represents a 14.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Marilyn B. Tavenner sold 32,000 shares of the company'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 owns 22,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $463,980. This represents a 59.26 % 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 Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Select Medical in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,927,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Select Medical by 9.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 416,299 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $14,516,000 after purchasing an additional 36,905 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Select Medical during the third quarter worth about $1,592,000. Argent Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Select Medical by 79.8% in the fourth quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 55,144 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,039,000 after buying an additional 24,471 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Select Medical by 2.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,442,321 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $85,180,000 after purchasing an additional 46,880 shares during the period. 89.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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