Chapin Davis Inc. Purchases Shares of 9,531 Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Chapin Davis Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,531 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,183,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $391,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $112,278,000 after buying an additional 220,823 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 129.8% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 7,882 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,202,000 after buying an additional 4,452 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position 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 worth $87,020,000 after acquiring an additional 569,096 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 8 Knots Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth about $40,010,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UHS shares. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $189.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.92.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $212.79 on Tuesday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $227.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.51. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $119.90 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The firm has a market cap of $14.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.78%.

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

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 directly owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. 16.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.