Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 70,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,240,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 3,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy during the fourth quarter worth $113,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 57.1% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on USPH. StockNews.com cut shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. 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 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Citizens Jmp raised U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barrington Research cut their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

NYSE USPH opened at $73.69 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.78. The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of 78.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.91. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.27 and a 52-week high of $113.63.

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

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $588,564.48. The trade was a 19.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.