GAMMA Investing LLC Buys 305 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 84.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 665 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth $32,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,595.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total transaction of $531,209.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,844.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,595.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $212.11 on Wednesday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.90 and a 52-week high of $219.61. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $190.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.53 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.96 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the health services provider to repurchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 6.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $162.00 to $219.00 in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $189.00 to $226.00 in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $216.31.

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.