Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Bought by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 174.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,623 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,447 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $9,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 5,033.3% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,084 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after purchasing an additional 6,946 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $642,000. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 403.2% during the 2nd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 7,321 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,353,000 after purchasing an additional 5,866 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 134.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,744 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,595,000 after purchasing an additional 5,010 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 107.3% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 22,284 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,121,000 after purchasing an additional 11,532 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on UHS shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. KeyCorp started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $197.59 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $133.70 and a one year high of $243.25. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $218.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $205.89. The company has a market capitalization of $13.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The company had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals, and outpatient and behavioral health care facilities. It operates through Acute Care Hospital Services and Behavioral Health Care Services segments. The company's hospitals offer general and specialty surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic and coronary care, pediatric services, pharmacy services, and/or behavioral health services.