Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Earns Buy Rating from Benchmark

Benchmark restated their buy rating on shares of Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Free Report) in a research note released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $39.00 price objective on the health services provider's stock.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Select Medical from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $34.40.

Select Medical Stock Performance

Shares of Select Medical stock traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $28.06. 372,018 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 573,034. The business has a 50-day moving average of $28.05 and a 200-day moving average of $25.55. Select Medical has a 1 year low of $21.28 and a 1 year high of $33.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The health services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. Select Medical had a return on equity of 16.93% and a net margin of 3.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.22 earnings per share. Select Medical's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Select Medical will post 2.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Select Medical Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Select Medical's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Select Medical

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

Institutional Trading of Select Medical

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SEM. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Select Medical during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Select Medical during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Select Medical during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Select Medical during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Select Medical during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.48% of the company's stock.

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.