U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Hits New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) shares hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $71.90 and last traded at $72.83, with a volume of 429 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $72.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

USPH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JMP Securities initiated coverage on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $113.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barrington Research decreased their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.78. The company’s fifty day moving average is $84.85 and its 200-day moving average is $87.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of 78.99, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.51.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.04). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. The business had revenue of $180.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $173.10 million. On average, analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total value of $142,050.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 7,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $588,564.48. The trade was a 19.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in USPH. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 3,200.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 68.6% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter valued at about $84,000.

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.