Select Medical Holdings Corporation (NYSE:SEM) Short Interest Up 19.4% in March

Select Medical Holdings Corporation (NYSE:SEM) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,737,454 shares, an increase of 19.4% from the March 15th total of 2,292,503 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,561,073 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Select Medical Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SEM traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,136,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,648,331. Select Medical has a fifty-two week low of $11.65 and a fifty-two week high of $18.60. The company has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.01.

Select Medical (NYSE:SEM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The health services provider reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.07). Select Medical had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 7.26%. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.18 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Select Medical has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.220-1.320 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Select Medical will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Select Medical Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Select Medical’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.74%.

Select Medical announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, February 19th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the health services provider to repurchase up to 49.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Select Medical

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SEM. 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in Select Medical in the second quarter worth about $26,568,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Select Medical by 407.9% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,590,339 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $20,420,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277,233 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Select Medical in the fourth quarter worth about $17,603,000. Western Standard LLC acquired a new stake in Select Medical in the third quarter worth about $13,551,000. Finally, Eversept Partners LP acquired a new stake in Select Medical in the fourth quarter worth about $13,456,000. 89.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark cut Select Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $16.50 target price (down from $19.00) on shares of Select Medical in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Select Medical from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Select Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Select Medical from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.63.

About Select Medical

Select Medical is a leading provider of specialized healthcare services in the United States, operating through two primary business segments: Hospital Division and Outpatient Rehabilitation Division. The Hospital Division offers long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) that serve patients recovering from complex illnesses, trauma or surgery. The Outpatient Rehabilitation Division delivers physical, occupational and speech therapy services through a network of clinic locations and home-based care programs.

Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Select Medical was founded in 1996 and has grown through strategic partnerships, joint ventures and acquisitions.