Select Medical Holdings Corporation (NYSE:SEM) Short Interest Down 24.4% in March

Select Medical Holdings Corporation (NYSE:SEM) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,292,503 shares, a drop of 24.4% from the February 26th total of 3,030,414 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,279,568 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Select Medical

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Select Medical by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 29,331 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Select Medical during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Beartown Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Select Medical during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,970,000. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its holdings in Select Medical by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 63,307 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 15,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd raised its position in shares of Select Medical by 394.2% in the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 138,229 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after purchasing an additional 110,257 shares in the last quarter. 89.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Select Medical Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of SEM stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $16.30. The company had a trading volume of 923,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,870,063. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Select Medical has a twelve month low of $11.65 and a twelve month high of $18.60. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.67.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The health services provider reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.07). Select Medical had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 2.68%.The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Select Medical has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.220-1.320 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Select Medical will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Select Medical announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 19th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the health services provider to buy up to 49.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Select Medical Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Select Medical’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SEM shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Select Medical from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Select Medical from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $16.50 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of Select Medical in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Select Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Benchmark lowered shares of Select Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.63.

About Select Medical

Select Medical is a leading provider of specialized healthcare services in the United States, operating through two primary business segments: Hospital Division and Outpatient Rehabilitation Division. The Hospital Division offers long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) that serve patients recovering from complex illnesses, trauma or surgery. The Outpatient Rehabilitation Division delivers physical, occupational and speech therapy services through a network of clinic locations and home-based care programs.

Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Select Medical was founded in 1996 and has grown through strategic partnerships, joint ventures and acquisitions.