Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Purchased by Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI

Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,305 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth about $897,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 95.9% during the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 19,511 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,560,000 after buying an additional 9,549 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 27.9% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 65,643 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $11,998,000 after buying an additional 14,326 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth $738,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 5,033.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,084 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 6,946 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on UHS. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com raised Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Monday. Baird R W upgraded Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, Barclays raised Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $219.46.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $227.52. 452,799 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 657,105. The company has a market cap of $15.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $196.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.88. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $228.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.53 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

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

Insider Activity

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,844.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, 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 transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,595.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. 16.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.