MQS Management LLC Invests $377,000 in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 0.6% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 571,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,725,000 after purchasing an additional 24,698 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 426,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,818,000 after purchasing an additional 7,890 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 5.6% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 316,489 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 16,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 261,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,226,000 after purchasing an additional 32,024 shares in the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

USPH traded up $1.46 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $75.19. The company had a trading volume of 135,029 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,918. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 34.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.44. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.77 and a 12-month high of $101.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $76.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.63.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $183.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $176.78 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 7.89%. U.S. Physical Therapy's revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. U.S. Physical Therapy's payout ratio is currently 82.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on USPH. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $98.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Nancy Ham sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.01, for a total transaction of $31,204.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,594 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $202,357.94. This represents a 13.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

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.