Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on SEM. Benchmark downgraded Select Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.50.

Select Medical Stock Performance

Select Medical stock opened at $17.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.45. Select Medical has a fifty-two week low of $16.20 and a fifty-two week high of $40.98. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.07.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The health services provider reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Select Medical had a net margin of 3.97% and a return on equity of 15.99%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Select Medical will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Select Medical Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Select Medical’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.30%.

Insider Activity at Select Medical

In related news, Director Marilyn B. Tavenner sold 32,000 shares of Select Medical stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.09, for a total value of $674,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 22,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,980. The trade was a 59.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Robert G. Breighner, Jr. sold 4,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.95, for a total transaction of $99,530.55. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 30,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $605,602.20. This represents a 14.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 19.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Select Medical

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Select Medical in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,556,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Select Medical by 2,552.7% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,596,414 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $30,092,000 after buying an additional 1,536,234 shares during the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Select Medical by 404.8% in the 4th quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 1,755,733 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,096,000 after acquiring an additional 1,407,902 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Select Medical by 144.2% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,059,791 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $71,825,000 after acquiring an additional 1,216,263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Select Medical by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,643,943 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $49,838,000 after acquiring an additional 864,852 shares during the period. 89.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Select Medical

Select Medical Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and occupational health centers in the United States. It operates in four segments: Critical Illness Recovery Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital, Outpatient Rehabilitation, and Concentra.