U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Buy" from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $114.00.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JMP Securities began coverage on U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $113.00 target price for the company. Citizens Jmp upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on U.S. Physical Therapy from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:USPH traded down $2.07 on Friday, reaching $86.99. 97,404 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 88,367. U.S. Physical Therapy has a twelve month low of $76.18 and a twelve month high of $113.63. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.83 and a 200-day moving average of $89.01. The company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.54, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 187.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Carey P. Hendrickson sold 516 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.25, for a total transaction of $49,665.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,970,141.25. The trade was a 2.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric Joseph Williams sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.84, for a total value of $191,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 14,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,419,773.76. The trade was a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,412 shares of company stock worth $706,605 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 2,808.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1,291.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 515 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 478 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 68.6% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 774 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 74.5% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 958 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company 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.