New York State Common Retirement Fund Decreases Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,862 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $5,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.6% during 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 buying an additional 17,527 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $379,403,000 after acquiring an additional 63,754 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $274,248,000 after purchasing an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 603,705 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $138,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,353 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 13.5% in the third 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 purchasing an additional 41,218 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $185.26 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $184.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.32. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.68 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.32%.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This trade represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on UHS. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $210.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.29.

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.