D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Raises Holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) by 44.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 87,184 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,028 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy were worth $7,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 3,200.0% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000.

Insider Activity at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total transaction 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 $588,564.48. This trade represents a 19.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:USPH opened at $78.23 on Friday. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.77 and a 52-week high of $107.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $71.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.78.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. The firm had revenue of $183.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $176.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on USPH. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barrington Research lowered their price target on U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $113.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com raised U.S. Physical Therapy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Profile

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.