Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 168 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,532 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,855 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,264,000 after acquiring an additional 4,174 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 16,501 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,515,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth about $564,000. Ingalls & Snyder LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $229,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 34,178 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $5,210,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UHS. Barclays began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $181.00 target price for the company. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.07.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of UHS opened at $165.10 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $170.55 and its 200-day moving average is $153.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $183.61.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total value of $6,188,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by 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.