Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Makes New $1.28 Million Investment in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 18,628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,279,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of USPH. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 77.2% during 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 last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,087,000. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position 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 worth $29,603,000 after buying an additional 114,618 shares during the last quarter. 4D Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy in the third quarter worth approximately $9,344,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 607.2% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 69,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,453,000 after buying an additional 59,959 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Peter Francis Minan acquired 492 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.14 per share, with a total value of $31,064.88. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,558.22. The trade was a 20.24% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

NYSE:USPH opened at $78.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 460.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.13. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.19 and a fifty-two week high of $93.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $72.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.94.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.06). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 9.39% and a net margin of 3.97%.The firm had revenue of $214.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $211.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 1,082.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barrington Research boosted their price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $98.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Monday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.50.

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.