U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on USPH. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.67.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

USPH traded down $1.36 on Tuesday, reaching $70.15. 67,827 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 192,020. U.S. Physical Therapy has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $93.50. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 49.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $77.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.19.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67. The company had revenue of $202.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $200.10 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 5.07% and a return on equity of 8.75%. U.S. Physical Therapy’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, EVP Richard Binstein sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.64, for a total transaction of $244,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,030,141.88. This trade represents a 10.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 662 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.86, for a total transaction of $52,205.32. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 30,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,371,951.08. This represents a 2.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of USPH. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 968 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 4,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company Profile

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.