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

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on U.S. Physical Therapy, with four buy ratings, one strong buy and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $97.50 versus the stock’s reported $79.89 price.
• The company’s latest quarterly results were mixed: revenue rose 8.5% year over year to $214.06 million and exceeded estimates, but earnings per share of $0.75 missed consensus by $0.06.
• U.S. Physical Therapy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.84 and a 2.3% yield. A company director also purchased 492 shares, while several institutional investors increased their positions.

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $97.50.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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 price of $63.14 per share, with a total value of $31,064.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $184,558.22. This trade represents a 20.24% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 370,707 shares of the company's stock worth $28,949,000 after buying an additional 24,848 shares during the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP grew its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 582.7% in the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 41,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,224,000 after acquiring an additional 35,237 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 172.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 28,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,239,000 after acquiring an additional 18,159 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 6.5% during the first quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 836,831 shares of the company's stock worth $62,729,000 after acquiring an additional 50,717 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter worth about $2,741,000.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Down 0.2%

USPH opened at $79.89 on Monday. U.S. Physical Therapy has a fifty-two week low of $58.19 and a fifty-two week high of $93.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 469.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.17 and a 200-day moving average of $74.15.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.06). U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 3.97% and a return on equity of 9.39%. The business had revenue of $214.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $211.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,082.35%.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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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