U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Declares Dividend Increase – $0.45 Per Share

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 26th, NASDAQ Dividends reports. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of 0.45 per share on Friday, April 11th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a 2.3% increase from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44.

U.S. Physical Therapy has increased its dividend by an average of 6.4% per year over the last three years. U.S. Physical Therapy has a payout ratio of 62.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect U.S. Physical Therapy to earn $2.93 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 61.4%.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

USPH stock opened at $79.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $87.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.54. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 1 year low of $76.18 and a 1 year high of $113.63. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 84.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $180.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.10 million. U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.11% and a net margin of 3.54%. Equities analysts forecast that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Citizens Jmp upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com lowered U.S. Physical Therapy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barrington Research decreased their price target on U.S. Physical Therapy from $108.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JMP Securities started coverage on U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $113.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 1,730 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 7,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $588,564.48. This represents a 19.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.