U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) experienced a 320.7% increase in short interest in July, with a total of 577,600 shares shorted as of July 15.
• Insider transactions revealed that Director Nancy Ham sold 400 shares at an average price of $78.01, decreasing her ownership by 13.36%.
• Despite a 4.0% decline in stock value recently, U.S. Physical Therapy reported strong quarterly earnings, with $0.48 EPS exceeding expectations and revenue up 18% year-over-year.

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 577,600 shares, agrowthof320.7% from the June 30th total of 137,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 166,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 166,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Nancy Ham sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.01, for a total transaction of $31,204.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,594 shares of the company's stock, valued at $202,357.94. This represents a 13.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 952.4% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 442 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 90.6% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 171.8% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 443 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 207.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 827 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the period.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Down 4.0%

Shares of NYSE USPH opened at $70.21 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.48. The firm has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 32.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.45. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 1 year low of $62.77 and a 1 year high of $101.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $183.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $176.78 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on USPH. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $98.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $113.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.00.

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.

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