Select Medical Holdings Corporation (NYSE:SEM) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Select Medical Holdings Corporation (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.00.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SEM. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Select Medical from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Select Medical in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $25.00 price target for the company.

Insider Activity at Select Medical

In other Select Medical news, Director Parvinderjit S. Khanuja bought 21,000 shares of Select Medical stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $15.02 per share, for a total transaction of $315,420.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 65,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at $977,636.78. The trade was a 47.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO David S. Chernow sold 225,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $4,050,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 714,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,861,288. This represents a 23.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Select Medical

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SEM. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Select Medical by 151.0% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,684 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 22,671 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Select Medical during the first quarter worth approximately $460,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Select Medical by 1,309.5% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 137,169 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,586,000 after acquiring an additional 127,437 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Select Medical by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 11,304 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Select Medical by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,712,990 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $239,640,000 after acquiring an additional 131,228 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.48% of the company's stock.

Select Medical Trading Down 1.1%

SEM traded down $0.16 during trading on Monday, reaching $15.02. The company had a trading volume of 92,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 977,378. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. Select Medical has a 12-month low of $14.03 and a 12-month high of $40.98. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.34. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $15.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.16.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The health services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. Select Medical had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The firm's revenue was down 24.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Select Medical will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Select Medical Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Select Medical's dividend payout ratio is 18.66%.

Select Medical declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the health services provider to buy up to 42.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.