U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $90.00, but opened at $83.00. U.S. Physical Therapy shares last traded at $82.12, with a volume of 120,993 shares traded.

The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.08). U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 8.03%. The business had revenue of $167.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $163.34 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.76 EPS. U.S. Physical Therapy’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on USPH shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Reading sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.13, for a total value of $112,343.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 99,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,186,241.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Reading sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.26, for a total transaction of $290,754.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 95,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,608,717.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Reading sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.13, for a total transaction of $112,343.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 99,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,186,241.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 10,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,184,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.0% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,702,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.3% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 13,116 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 7,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $702,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 65.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $94.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.90.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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.