U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Short Interest Update

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) saw a large decrease in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 481,600 shares, a decrease of 14.8% from the August 31st total of 565,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 115,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on USPH shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Friday, September 20th. 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.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

Shares of USPH stock opened at $84.38 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 1.88. The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $87.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.20. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 52 week low of $78.08 and a 52 week high of $113.63.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $167.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $163.34 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.18% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.76 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 23rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 143.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,724 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.50, for a total transaction of $142,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 7,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,635. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Kathleen A. Gilmartin acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $86.09 per share, with a total value of $172,180.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 18,904 shares in the company, valued at $1,627,445.36. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,724 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.50, for a total transaction of $142,230.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,635. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 2,808.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1,291.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 515 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares in the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company 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.