Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Trading 8.8% Higher

Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) shares traded up 8.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $31.32 and last traded at $30.96. 693,586 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 23% from the average session volume of 562,830 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Select Medical in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Select Medical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.40.

Select Medical Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The company's 50 day moving average is $28.42 and its 200-day moving average is $25.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.38.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The health services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.05. Select Medical had a net margin of 3.65% and a return on equity of 16.93%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.22 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Select Medical Holdings Co. will post 2.03 EPS for the current year.

Select Medical Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. Select Medical's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Select Medical

In other Select Medical news, Chairman Robert A. Ortenzio sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.90, for a total transaction of $1,495,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 6,689,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,021,073.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 19.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Select Medical

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Select Medical by 6.6% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,563 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $198,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. increased its position in Select Medical by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. now owns 10,760 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Paralel Advisors LLC increased its position in Select Medical by 1.1% in the third quarter. Paralel Advisors LLC now owns 73,981 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,870,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Select Medical by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 47,310 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new position in Select Medical during the third quarter valued at $29,000. 89.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Select Medical

Select Medical Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and occupational health centers in the United States. It operates in four segments: Critical Illness Recovery Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital, Outpatient Rehabilitation, and Concentra.

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