Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Rating Increased to Buy at Benchmark

Benchmark upgraded shares of Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $23.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on SEM. StockNews.com raised Select Medical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Select Medical presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.25.

Select Medical Trading Up 4.7 %

Shares of SEM stock opened at $18.51 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Select Medical has a twelve month low of $16.20 and a twelve month high of $40.98. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $19.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.81. The stock has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.22, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.45.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The health services provider reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Select Medical had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 14.04%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Select Medical will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Select Medical Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Select Medical’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.30%.

Insider Activity at Select Medical

In related news, VP Robert G. Breighner, Jr. sold 4,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.95, for a total transaction of $99,530.55. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 30,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $605,602.20. This represents a 14.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 19.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Select Medical

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Select Medical in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Select Medical by 179.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,296 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Select Medical in the 3rd quarter valued at about $81,000. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Select Medical by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,955 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 1,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Select Medical by 47.8% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,974 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 2,255 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.