Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires Shares of 52,600 Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 52,600 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,236,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SEM. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Select Medical in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Select Medical in the third quarter valued at about $710,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Select Medical in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Select Medical by 11.8% in the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,679 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 1,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sippican Capital Advisors increased its holdings in Select Medical by 13.2% in the third quarter. Sippican Capital Advisors now owns 11,225 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 1,310 shares in the last quarter. 89.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Select Medical Price Performance

Shares of SEM stock traded up $0.84 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $28.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 320,393 shares, compared to its average volume of 571,970. The business has a fifty day moving average of $28.17 and a 200-day moving average of $25.66. The stock has a market cap of $3.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.37. Select Medical Holdings Co. has a twelve month low of $21.28 and a twelve month high of $33.51. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The health services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Select Medical Holdings Co. will post 2.03 EPS for the current year.

Select Medical Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. Select Medical's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SEM. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $39.00 target price on shares of Select Medical in a report on Friday, April 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Select Medical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Robert A. Ortenzio sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total transaction of $1,300,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 6,789,668 shares in the company, valued at $176,531,368. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 17.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.