Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Stake Trimmed by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,176 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 526 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,335,000 after acquiring an additional 57,036 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $112,278,000 after buying an additional 220,823 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $87,020,000 after buying an additional 569,096 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at $86,117,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 12,924.9% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $76,820,000 after buying an additional 500,066 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,595.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,595.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total value of $180,293.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,985 shares in the company, valued at $421,038.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $232.28 on Wednesday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $241.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $215.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $190.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.53 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the health services provider to purchase up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 6.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UHS. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Barclays raised Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.92.

Universal Health Services 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.