U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) Shares Purchased by Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC

Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) by 60.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC’s holdings in U.S. Physical Therapy were worth $355,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of USPH. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 10,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $940,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 9,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $844,000 after purchasing an additional 953 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 58.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,450,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in U.S. Physical Therapy by 1.0% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 79,817 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,755,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period.

U.S. Physical Therapy Stock Down 0.3 %

USPH stock opened at $88.49 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $92.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.86. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.48. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.18 and a 52 week high of $113.63.

U.S. Physical Therapy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. U.S. Physical Therapy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 187.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on USPH. Bank of America raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $100.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. JMP Securities began coverage on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $113.00 target price on the stock. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Citizens Jmp raised shares of U.S. Physical Therapy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, U.S. Physical Therapy currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $114.00.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In related news, Director Nancy Ham sold 1,172 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.72, for a total transaction of $113,355.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $107,552.64. The trade was a 51.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Carey P. Hendrickson sold 516 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.25, for a total transaction of $49,665.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,469 shares in the company, valued at $1,970,141.25. The trade was a 2.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,412 shares of company stock valued at $706,605 over the last ninety days. 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.