Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Sells 23,966 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 89.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,867 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 23,966 shares during the quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $530,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 1,994 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,385 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,107,000 after buying an additional 2,965 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,161 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 16,663 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,540,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 31,763 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,842,000 after acquiring an additional 1,468 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

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

Universal Health Services Trading Down 4.1 %

Shares of UHS stock opened at $229.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.90 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.56.

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

Universal Health Services announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the health services provider to purchase up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 6.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on UHS. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $189.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Barclays upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has an average 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.