Benchmark Reiterates “Buy” Rating for Select Medical (NYSE:SEM)

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) in a report released on Friday, 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 research note on Friday, March 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Select Medical has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $34.80.

Select Medical Stock Performance

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

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The health services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. Select Medical had a return on equity of 18.11% and a net margin of 3.97%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. Select Medical’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Select Medical will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Select Medical Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Select Medical’s payout ratio is 23.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Robert A. Ortenzio sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.90, for a total value of $1,495,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 6,689,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $200,021,073.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 17.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Select Medical

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

Select Medical Company Profile

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.