JPMorgan Chase & Co. Purchases 56,752 Shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) by 106.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,837 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 56,752 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.72% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $9,331,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of USPH. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 474,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,325,000 after acquiring an additional 153,054 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 6.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 474,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,285,000 after acquiring an additional 27,577 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in the third quarter valued at about $29,381,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 77.2% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 317,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,946,000 after purchasing an additional 138,194 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the 3rd quarter worth about $21,940,000.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of USPH opened at $75.03 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.55. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.77 and a 52 week high of $93.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.30.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.75% and a net margin of 5.07%.The business had revenue of $202.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $200.10 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 129.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

USPH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.50.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 662 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.86, for a total value of $52,205.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 30,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,371,951.08. This represents a 2.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Binstein sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.64, for a total transaction of $244,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,030,141.88. This represents a 10.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company 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.