Legato Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

Legato Capital Management LLC raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) by 87.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,116 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,306 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.15% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $1,727,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1,450.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the fourth quarter valued at about $204,000. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on USPH. Zacks Research cut shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $113.00 to $98.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Barrington Research dropped their price target on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $103.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.50.

Insider Activity at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 662 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.86, for a total value of $52,205.32. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 30,078 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,951.08. This represents a 2.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Binstein sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.64, for a total transaction of $244,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,867 shares in the company, valued at $2,030,141.88. This represents a 10.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Performance

NYSE USPH opened at $62.02 on Friday. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.19 and a 1 year high of $93.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $943.96 million, a PE ratio of 124.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.49.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.09). U.S. Physical Therapy had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 4.36%.The firm had revenue of $198.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $200.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 368.00%.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

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.