Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Purchased by Envestnet Asset Management Inc.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 71.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 66,995 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,819 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $12,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $838,821,000 after buying an additional 44,099 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $306,776,000 after purchasing an additional 52,042 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.9% in 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 period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 624,143 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $111,984,000 after acquiring an additional 27,903 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 2.1% in the fourth 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 during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UHS shares. Stephens upped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $224.00 price objective (down previously from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $224.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS opened at $174.57 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $178.88 and a 200-day moving average of $191.54. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.69 and a 12-month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.75%.

Universal Health Services 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.