U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) shares reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $75.96 and last traded at $76.63, with a volume of 5868 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.49.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barrington Research reduced their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Citizens Jmp raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $111.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Down 0.4 %

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $85.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 81.08, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.51.

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

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio is 97.83%.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $588,564.48. This represents a 19.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 35,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,172,000 after acquiring an additional 9,395 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the fourth quarter worth $2,229,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 33.4% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 10,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 30,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,741,000 after acquiring an additional 10,300 shares during 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.