Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Friday.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on SEM. Benchmark downgraded shares of Select Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Select Medical has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.50.

Select Medical Stock Down 7.5 %

Select Medical stock opened at $17.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Select Medical has a 1-year low of $16.20 and a 1-year high of $40.98.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The health services provider reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Select Medical had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 14.04%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Select Medical will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Select Medical Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Select Medical’s dividend payout ratio is 30.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert G. Breighner, Jr. sold 4,989 shares of Select Medical stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.95, for a total transaction of $99,530.55. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 30,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $605,602.20. The trade was a 14.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Marilyn B. Tavenner sold 32,000 shares of Select Medical stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.09, for a total transaction of $674,880.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 22,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,980. This trade represents a 59.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 19.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Select Medical

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Select Medical during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Select Medical by 179.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,296 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Select Medical in the third quarter valued at about $81,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Select Medical by 33.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,955 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 1,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Select Medical by 47.8% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,974 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 2,255 shares in the last quarter. 89.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Select Medical Company Profile

Select Medical Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and occupational health centers in the United States. It operates in four segments: Critical Illness Recovery Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital, Outpatient Rehabilitation, and Concentra.