U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Shares Gap Up - Here's What Happened

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $93.46, but opened at $96.21. U.S. Physical Therapy shares last traded at $95.81, with a volume of 9,871 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

USPH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on U.S. Physical Therapy from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America raised U.S. Physical Therapy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, JMP Securities started coverage on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $113.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $114.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Up 2.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 99.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.46. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $89.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.89. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 187.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Nancy Ham sold 1,172 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.72, for a total value of $113,355.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,112 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $107,552.64. This trade represents a 51.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bernard A. Harris, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.95, for a total value of $185,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,554,681.70. This trade represents a 10.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,412 shares of company stock valued at $706,605. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 2,808.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1,291.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 515 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the second quarter worth about $51,000.

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.