Tredje AP fonden Cuts Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Tredje AP fonden decreased its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 1.5% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,688 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth $86,117,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,252 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 1,994 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $536,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 11,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,819,000 after purchasing an additional 5,149 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,385 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,107,000 after buying an additional 2,965 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.92.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS stock opened at $238.02 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $218.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.78. The company has a market cap of $15.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $241.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. The company 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 revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

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

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

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total transaction of $531,209.25. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $864,248.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535. Corporate insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Health Services

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.