Nuveen LLC Buys New Stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, purchasing 120,253 shares valued at approximately $8.7 million, representing about 0.79% of the company's total shares.
• The company reported earnings of $0.81 per share, surpassing estimates, with a revenue growth of 18.0% year-over-year, totaling $197.34 million for the quarter.
• U.S. Physical Therapy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, with an ex-dividend date of August 22, indicating a strong investment return with a dividend yield of 2.1%.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 120,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,702,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.79% of U.S. Physical Therapy at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of USPH. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,886,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 95.9% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 120,893 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,724,000 after purchasing an additional 59,190 shares in the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 189,115 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,776,000 after purchasing an additional 37,523 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of 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. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 8.9% in the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 344,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,920,000 after purchasing an additional 28,203 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Barrington Research upped their price target on U.S. Physical Therapy from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $110.25.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $82.89. 93,825 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 175,898. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.77 and a 1 year high of $101.19. The stock's fifty day moving average is $79.18 and its 200 day moving average is $76.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 36.20, a PEG ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 1.45.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.10. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 5.05%.The business had revenue of $197.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio is currently 78.60%.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other news, CFO Carey P. Hendrickson sold 698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.11, for a total transaction of $60,104.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 27,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,394,546.88. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Nancy Ham sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.01, for a total value of $31,204.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,594 shares in the company, valued at $202,357.94. This trade represents a 13.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,653 shares of company stock valued at $311,274. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

U.S. Physical Therapy 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.