Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Position in Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM - Free Report) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,146,116 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 94,007 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 1.67% of Select Medical worth $50,434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SEM. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Select Medical by 1,015.2% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 553,306 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $13,982,000 after purchasing an additional 503,692 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Select Medical by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,739,361 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $40,875,000 after purchasing an additional 235,964 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Select Medical during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,637,000. Trexquant Investment LP increased its position in Select Medical by 257.8% during the third quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 165,742 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $4,188,000 after buying an additional 119,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Select Medical by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,467,109 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $34,477,000 after acquiring an additional 79,907 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.48% of the company's stock.

Select Medical Price Performance

SEM traded down $0.73 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $34.19. 451,028 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 584,486. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.38. Select Medical Holdings Co. has a one year low of $21.28 and a one year high of $35.08.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The health services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Select Medical had a return on equity of 18.11% and a net margin of 3.97%. The business's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Select Medical Holdings Co. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Select Medical Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. Select Medical's payout ratio is 23.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SEM shares. StockNews.com raised Select Medical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Select Medical from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of Select Medical in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Select Medical has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Robert A. Ortenzio sold 50,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.50% of the company's stock.

Select Medical Company Profile

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.