Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 107 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 30.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 455 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $81,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 17,527 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $379,403,000 after purchasing an additional 63,754 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of 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. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.9% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Universal Health Services by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 487,904 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $87,540,000 after purchasing an additional 10,250 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.9 %

NYSE:UHS opened at $172.04 on Monday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.68 and a 52 week high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $183.85 and its 200-day moving average is $202.97. The firm has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. Equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UHS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded 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 report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given 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 target price of $231.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services 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 value of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

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.