Southernsun Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)

Southernsun Asset Management LLC increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 571,809 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,698 shares during the period. U.S. Physical Therapy comprises approximately 6.3% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned about 3.79% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $50,725,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,084,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,179,000 after purchasing an additional 6,393 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 839,356 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,459,000 after buying an additional 72,715 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 426,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,818,000 after buying an additional 7,890 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 343,073 shares of the company's stock worth $29,040,000 after buying an additional 4,477 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 299,791 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,594,000 after acquiring an additional 50,163 shares during the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE USPH traded up $1.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $70.78. 81,078 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 107,158. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.77 and a 12-month high of $108.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $74.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.38. The firm has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.38.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $180.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 expect that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a boost from U.S. Physical Therapy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on USPH. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $113.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Barrington Research decreased their price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, William Blair restated a "market perform" rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, U.S. Physical Therapy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $109.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total value of $142,050.30. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $588,564.48. The trade was a 19.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

U.S. Physical Therapy Profile

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.