U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to “Strong-Buy” Rating

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock opened at $77.86 on Thursday. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 12-month low of $62.77 and a 12-month high of $93.50. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $83.83 and its 200-day moving average is $82.24.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.67. The company had revenue of $202.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $200.10 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.75% and a net margin of 5.07%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 662 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.86, for a total value of $52,205.32. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 30,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,371,951.08. This represents a 2.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Binstein sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.64, for a total transaction of $244,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,030,141.88. This trade represents a 10.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in USPH. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,381,000. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $21,940,000. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 474,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,325,000 after purchasing an additional 153,054 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 77.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 317,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,946,000 after purchasing an additional 138,194 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 45.9% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 364,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,603,000 after buying an additional 114,618 shares in the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company 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.