Southernsun Asset Management LLC Decreases Position in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

Southernsun Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) by 8.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 439,904 shares of the company’s stock after selling 39,632 shares during the quarter. U.S. Physical Therapy comprises approximately 4.8% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned approximately 2.89% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $32,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 507,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,035,000 after buying an additional 15,668 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 75.2% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 785 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. True North Advisors LLC increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 13.5% in the first quarter. True North Advisors LLC now owns 14,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 1,714 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 6.5% during the first quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 836,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,729,000 after purchasing an additional 50,717 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 11.8% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares in the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:USPH opened at $74.29 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $66.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.70. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.19 and a 12-month high of $93.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 148.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.09). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 4.36%.The company had revenue of $198.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $200.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is 368.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Peter Francis Minan acquired 492 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.14 per share, for a total transaction of $31,064.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,558.22. This trade represents a 20.24% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on USPH. Zacks Research upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barrington Research decreased their price objective on U.S. Physical Therapy from $103.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $98.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy Profile

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.