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

Copeland Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Free Report) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 746,676 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,937 shares during the quarter. U.S. Physical Therapy comprises about 1.4% of Copeland Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned 4.98% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $69,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 71.8% in the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 754.7% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 348.9% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 844 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 82.1% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 887 shares of the company's stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on USPH shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $99.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, U.S. Physical Therapy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.67.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock traded up $1.90 on Friday, hitting $112.87. 65,902 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 65,146. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a current ratio of 2.28. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.08 and a 52 week high of $124.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.09.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.02. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 8.52%. The firm had revenue of $154.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $150.24 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. U.S. Physical Therapy's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from U.S. Physical Therapy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 11th. U.S. Physical Therapy's payout ratio is presently 130.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, insider Eric Joseph Williams sold 1,500 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.96, for a total transaction of $157,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,027,197.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Edward L. Kuntz sold 2,500 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.26, for a total value of $260,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,780 shares in the company, valued at $602,622.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric Joseph Williams sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.96, for a total transaction of $157,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,027,197.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,829 shares of company stock valued at $1,141,535 over the last three months. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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.