Legal & General Group Plc Invests $2.34 Million in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 34,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,339,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.23% of U.S. Physical Therapy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of USPH. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the second quarter valued at approximately $155,505,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,085,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,754,000 after acquiring an additional 15,712 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 836,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,729,000 after purchasing an additional 50,717 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 10.9% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 554,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,574,000 after buying an additional 54,656 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 3.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 507,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,035,000 after buying an additional 15,668 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Citizens Jmp reissued 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. Barrington Research increased their target price 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. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of USPH stock opened at $79.21 on Friday. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.19 and a 52-week high of $93.50. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 465.97, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.27 and its 200-day moving average is $73.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 3.97% and a return on equity of 9.39%. The business 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 company earned $0.81 EPS. U.S. Physical Therapy’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,082.35%.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, Director Peter Francis Minan acquired 492 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction on 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 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.