U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Wall Street sentiment is positive: U.S. Physical Therapy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from seven analysts, with an average price target of $97.50. Recent analyst actions were mixed but generally favorable, including buy/outperform ratings from Citizens JMP and Citigroup.
• Latest earnings were below expectations: The company reported $0.46 EPS versus the $0.55 estimate and revenue of $198.29 million versus the expected $200.94 million. Revenue still rose 7.9% year over year.
• Stock and shareholder activity remain notable: USPH was trading around $71.41, up 2.0% on the day, and recently paid a $0.46 quarterly dividend for a 2.6% annualized yield. Insider Director Peter Francis Minan also bought shares, while several institutional investors significantly increased their positions.

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $97.50.

USPH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $98.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Barrington Research reduced their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $103.00 to $90.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Up 2.0%

USPH opened at $71.41 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 142.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15. U.S. Physical Therapy has a one year low of $58.19 and a one year high of $93.50. The stock's fifty day moving average is $65.31 and its 200-day moving average is $74.88.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $198.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.94 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 4.36%.U.S. Physical Therapy's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio is 368.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Peter Francis Minan acquired 492 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $63.14 per share, for a total transaction of $31,064.88. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,558.22. The trade was a 20.24% 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 hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in USPH. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 77.2% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 317,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,946,000 after acquiring an additional 138,194 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 45.9% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 364,253 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,603,000 after acquiring an additional 114,618 shares during the last quarter. 4D Advisors LLC bought a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the third quarter worth approximately $9,344,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 607.2% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 69,834 shares of the company's stock worth $5,453,000 after acquiring an additional 59,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 106.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 109,837 shares of the company's stock worth $9,331,000 after purchasing an additional 56,752 shares during the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company Profile

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc NYSE: USPH is a leading owner and operator of outpatient physical therapy clinics across the United States. The company delivers rehabilitative care to patients recovering from orthopedic injuries, neurological disorders and chronic conditions. Its core services include one-on-one physical therapy sessions, aquatic therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy and sports medicine programs designed to restore mobility and enhance quality of life.

In addition to traditional rehabilitation services, U.S.

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