Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 955 U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH)

Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 3,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $113,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the 4th quarter valued at $203,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

USPH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on U.S. Physical Therapy from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Barrington Research dropped their target price on U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $113.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, U.S. Physical Therapy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.00.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

USPH stock opened at $73.96 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $71.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.68, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.44. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.77 and a 12-month high of $102.89.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. The business had revenue of $183.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $176.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. U.S. Physical Therapy’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is 82.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.11, for a total value of $142,050.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $588,564.48. This represents a 19.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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.