U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Issues Earnings Results, Meets Expectations

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.67, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $202.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.10 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 5.07% and a return on equity of 8.64%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE USPH traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $80.35. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,522 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,905. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $83.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.30. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 1-year low of $62.77 and a 1-year high of $93.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 126.76%.

Institutional Trading of U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of USPH. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 58,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,569,000 after purchasing an additional 4,932 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 97.5% in the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 14,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 7,252 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 108,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,472,000 after purchasing an additional 20,581 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 579.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 19,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,520,000 after buying an additional 16,602 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy during the fourth quarter worth $439,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on USPH shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.33.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc (NYSE: USPH) is a leading owner and operator of outpatient physical therapy clinics across the United States. The company delivers rehabilitative care to patients recovering from orthopedic injuries, neurological disorders and chronic conditions. Its core services include one-on-one physical therapy sessions, aquatic therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy and sports medicine programs designed to restore mobility and enhance quality of life.

In addition to traditional rehabilitation services, U.S.