Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV cut its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 67.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,752 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 36,778 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $4,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UHS. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,881 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 12.5% in the third quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $10,305,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 414.3% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $376,000. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 16,502 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,779,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $283.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS opened at $201.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $221.18 and its 200-day moving average is $205.11. The stock has a market cap of $13.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $132.74 and a twelve month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current year.

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

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.