Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Sells 3,100 Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,522 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,100 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned 0.17% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $2,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of USPH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 314.9% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 63,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,274,000 after purchasing an additional 47,890 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates bought a new stake in U.S. Physical Therapy during the 1st quarter valued at $279,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 11,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 61.1% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 7,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after acquiring an additional 2,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 44.9% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 46,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,668,000 after acquiring an additional 14,547 shares in the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:USPH opened at $99.09 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $104.57 and its 200 day moving average is $95.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a current ratio of 2.28. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 1.39. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.08 and a fifty-two week high of $124.11.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $154.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $150.24 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 8.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a boost from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio is 130.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, insider Eric Joseph Williams sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.96, for a total transaction of $157,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,027,197.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, CFO Carey P. Hendrickson sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.28, for a total transaction of $193,104.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 21,186 shares in the company, valued at $2,272,834.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric Joseph Williams sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.96, for a total transaction of $157,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,027,197.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,829 shares of company stock worth $1,141,535 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $99.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Barrington Research upped their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.67.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company Profile

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.