LSV Asset Management Sells 29,136 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

LSV Asset Management decreased its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 847,651 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 29,136 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned 1.28% of Universal Health Services worth $152,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 73.0% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,226 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 939 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 100.6% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,237 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $512,000 after buying an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 18.6% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 2,030 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.2% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 18,042 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,132,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 18.1% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 456 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UHS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $208.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.93.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 5.8 %

NYSE:UHS opened at $183.31 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.74. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.69 and a 52-week high of $243.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 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 firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

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

Universal Health Services 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.