Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Increases Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,658 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina owned about 0.08% of Universal Health Services worth $9,627,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Fund Management S.A. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 294.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 68,799 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $12,344,000 after purchasing an additional 51,359 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 20,496 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth $29,301,000. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its position in Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 73,445 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $13,178,000 after acquiring an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $222,721,000 after acquiring an additional 253,385 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 directly owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim started coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Seven research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $228.77.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $175.05 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.69 and a 12-month high of $243.25. The firm has a market cap of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50-day moving average is $179.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. Research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

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.