Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Earns Buy Rating from Benchmark

Benchmark restated their buy rating on shares of Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) in a report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Benchmark currently has a $39.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Select Medical from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Select Medical has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $34.80.

Select Medical Stock Up 2.2 %

SEM traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $32.11. 997,298 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 583,021. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. Select Medical has a 1-year low of $21.28 and a 1-year high of $33.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $28.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.95. The stock has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.38.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The health services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. Select Medical had a return on equity of 18.11% and a net margin of 3.97%. Select Medical’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Select Medical will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Select Medical Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Select Medical’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Select Medical

In other news, Chairman Robert A. Ortenzio sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.90, for a total transaction of $1,495,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 6,689,668 shares in the company, valued at $200,021,073.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Select Medical

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SEM. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new position in Select Medical in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Select Medical in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Select Medical during the first quarter worth about $47,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Select Medical by 74.9% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,292 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 1,838 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Select Medical in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $147,000. Institutional investors own 89.48% of the company’s stock.

About Select Medical

Select Medical Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and occupational health centers in the United States. It operates in four segments: Critical Illness Recovery Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital, Outpatient Rehabilitation, and Concentra.