Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Purchases New Position in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC acquired a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 18,628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,279,000. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC owned 0.12% of U.S. Physical Therapy at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of USPH. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.6% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 10,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $817,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 3.6% in the second quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 3,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

U.S. Physical Therapy stock opened at $78.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 460.87, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.94. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.19 and a 52 week high of $93.50.

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

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be paid 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 currently 1,082.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on USPH shares. Zacks Research upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Barrington Research increased their price target 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. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $98.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research 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 given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, U.S. Physical Therapy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Peter Francis Minan bought 492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $63.14 per share, for a total transaction of $31,064.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $184,558.22. This trade represents a 20.24% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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.