U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Trading 15.8% Higher on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) rose 15.8% on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $95.61 and last traded at $95.61. Approximately 75,343 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 90,349 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.53.

The company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $168.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $163.97 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.18% and a net margin of 4.06%.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 23rd. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is 166.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 price objective (down previously from $114.00) on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Wednesday, October 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,724 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.50, for a total value of $142,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,635. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,724 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.50, for a total value of $142,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $580,635. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kathleen A. Gilmartin acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.09 per share, for a total transaction of $172,180.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,627,445.36. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,072,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,065,000 after purchasing an additional 10,175 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 423,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,173,000 after acquiring an additional 10,462 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 239,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,179,000 after acquiring an additional 9,434 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 157,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,515,000 after acquiring an additional 5,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.5% in the second quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 106,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,841,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $82.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.49. The company has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 77.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.38.

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.