U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Downgraded to "Sell" Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Thursday.

USPH has been the subject of several other reports. William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barrington Research dropped their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

NYSE USPH traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $67.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 106,388. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.38. The company's 50-day moving average is $76.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.78. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 1-year low of $62.77 and a 1-year high of $108.14.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $180.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $173.10 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. On average, equities analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. This is a positive change from U.S. Physical Therapy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio is presently 97.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total value of $142,050.30. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $588,564.48. This represents a 19.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in USPH. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 326 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 3,200.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 726 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 704 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 34.6% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,030 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter worth $84,000.

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.