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

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, November 5th,Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.44 per share on Friday, December 6th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th.

U.S. Physical Therapy has increased its dividend by an average of 75.2% annually over the last three years. U.S. Physical Therapy has a payout ratio of 60.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect U.S. Physical Therapy to earn $2.89 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 60.9%.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE USPH traded down $0.65 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $91.22. 6,602 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 91,408. The company’s 50 day moving average is $84.02 and its 200 day moving average is $91.26. U.S. Physical Therapy has a one year low of $76.18 and a one year high of $113.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 97.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.88.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.09). U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 8.11%. The business had revenue of $167.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $163.34 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,724 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.50, for a total transaction of $142,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 7,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $580,635. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,724 shares of U.S. Physical Therapy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.50, for a total value of $142,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,038 shares in the company, valued at $580,635. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kathleen A. Gilmartin purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.09 per share, for a total transaction of $172,180.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 18,904 shares in the company, valued at $1,627,445.36. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,620 shares of company stock valued at $799,170. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 price objective (down from $114.00) on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st.

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.