Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Sold by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS trimmed its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,485 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 459 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 118.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the third quarter worth about $69,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS stock opened at $182.24 on Tuesday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.69 and a 12-month high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $198.15.

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

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on UHS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $230.75.

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.