U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Shares Purchased by Kennedy Capital Management LLC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Free Report) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 79,551 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,496 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned about 0.53% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $7,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the 4th quarter worth $113,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy during the fourth quarter valued at about $257,000.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:USPH traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $67.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 33,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 105,744. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 72.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.38. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $62.77 and a twelve month high of $108.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $77.24 and a 200 day moving average of $85.00. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates 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 expect that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. This is an increase 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 payout ratio is 97.83%.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total value of $142,050.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at $588,564.48. This represents a 19.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

USPH has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. Barrington Research lowered their price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 note on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.00.

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.