U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Shares Up 15.4% Following Strong Earnings

Key Points

• U.S. Physical Therapy's shares surged 15.4% to $83.87 following a quarterly earnings report that exceeded analysts' expectations, posting an EPS of $0.81 compared to the anticipated $0.71.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing a 2.1% yield and indicating an 82.57% dividend payout ratio.
• Brokerages have generally rated the stock positively, with price targets ranging from $98.00 to $113.00, contributing to an overall "Moderate Buy" rating from analysts.

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) shot up 15.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $85.12 and last traded at $83.87. 28,454 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 139,185 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.69.

The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.10. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 4.57%. The firm had revenue of $197.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.24 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. U.S. Physical Therapy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, Director Nancy Ham sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.01, for a total transaction of $31,204.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,594 shares in the company, valued at $202,357.94. This represents a 13.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in USPH. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter worth about $18,886,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the first quarter worth about $8,702,000. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 32.6% during the first quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 345,003 shares of the company's stock worth $24,964,000 after purchasing an additional 84,878 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 8.9% during the second quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 888,735 shares of the company's stock worth $69,499,000 after purchasing an additional 72,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the fourth quarter worth about $6,240,000.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Up 16.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 38.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $75.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.20.

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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