Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Trading Down 2.9% – Time to Sell?

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)’s share price traded down 2.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $174.10 and last traded at $174.37. 25,383 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 156,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $179.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UHS shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 25th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.14.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.4 %

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $194.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.80 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $623,840,000 after purchasing an additional 17,527 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $379,403,000 after purchasing an additional 63,754 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 0.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $274,248,000 after buying an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 603,705 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $138,254,000 after buying an additional 11,353 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 346,969 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $79,459,000 after buying an additional 41,218 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% 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.