Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) to Issue $0.20 Quarterly Dividend

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 12th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of 0.20 per share by the health services provider on Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%.

Universal Health Services has a payout ratio of 4.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Universal Health Services to earn $17.69 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.5%.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of UHS traded down $6.67 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $179.28. 902,165 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 480,024. Universal Health Services has a 12 month low of $152.68 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The company has a market capitalization of $11.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $185.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $207.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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.