Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) Upgraded to “Buy” at Benchmark

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) was upgraded by stock analysts at Benchmark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The firm currently has a $23.00 target price on the health services provider’s stock. Benchmark’s target price indicates a potential upside of 30.50% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on SEM. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Select Medical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Select Medical from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.25.

Select Medical Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SEM opened at $17.63 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $19.09 and a 200-day moving average of $27.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.68, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.45. 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 12 month low of $16.20 and a 12 month high of $40.98.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The health services provider reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Select Medical had a return on equity of 14.04% and a net margin of 3.23%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Select Medical will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert G. Breighner, Jr. sold 4,989 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Marilyn B. Tavenner sold 32,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.09, for a total transaction of $674,880.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,980. The trade was a 59.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 19.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Select Medical

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Select Medical in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,927,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Select Medical by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 416,299 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $14,516,000 after purchasing an additional 36,905 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Select Medical during the 3rd quarter worth $1,592,000. Argent Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Select Medical by 79.8% during the 4th quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 55,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,039,000 after purchasing an additional 24,471 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Select Medical by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,442,321 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $85,180,000 after purchasing an additional 46,880 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.