U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Hits New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $71.90 and last traded at $72.83, with a volume of 429 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $72.79.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

USPH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JMP Securities initiated coverage on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $113.00 target price on the stock. Barrington Research dropped their target price 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. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. 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 on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Up 1.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.51. The business’s 50-day moving average is $84.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last issued 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). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. The firm had revenue of $180.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $173.10 million. Equities analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase 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 2.44%. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is 97.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total transaction of $142,050.30. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $588,564.48. The trade was a 19.44 % 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. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in USPH. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 3,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 68.6% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 774 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,000.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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.