Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Has $12.47 Million Stock Holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. $USPH

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) by 7.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 146,752 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,115 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.97% of U.S. Physical Therapy worth $12,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 68.8% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in U.S. Physical Therapy in the third quarter valued at about $52,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in U.S. Physical Therapy by 35.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 640 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 38.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy by 36.7% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 912 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on USPH shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given 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.

U.S. Physical Therapy Price Performance

U.S. Physical Therapy stock opened at $76.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.13, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $83.79 and a 200-day moving average of $82.17. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.77 and a 1 year high of $93.50.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 5.07% and a return on equity of 8.75%. 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 company posted $0.51 EPS. U.S. Physical Therapy’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Physical Therapy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from U.S. Physical Therapy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. U.S. Physical Therapy’s payout ratio is 126.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Physical Therapy

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

U.S. Physical Therapy 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.