U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.44 (NYSE:USPH)

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, May 7th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of 0.44 per share on Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd.

U.S. Physical Therapy has increased its dividend by an average of 75.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 5 years. U.S. Physical Therapy has a payout ratio of 57.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect U.S. Physical Therapy to earn $3.06 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 57.5%.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

NYSE:USPH traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $105.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 68,748. The business’s fifty day moving average is $105.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.37. The stock has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.33, a PEG ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.28 and a quick ratio of 2.28. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 1 year low of $78.08 and a 1 year high of $124.11.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.07). U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 8.52%. The business had revenue of $155.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $153.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, Director Clayton Trier sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total value of $42,800.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $749,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Carey P. Hendrickson sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.28, for a total value of $193,104.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 21,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,272,834.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Clayton Trier sold 400 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total value of $42,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $749,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,829 shares of company stock worth $1,141,535 in the last ninety days. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $99.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy presently has a consensus 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.