Korea Investment CORP Acquires 10,500 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Korea Investment CORP grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 10.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 110,742 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,500 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.17% of Universal Health Services worth $20,808,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 49.3% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 89.7% during the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 258 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth about $74,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $214.15.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $184.7670 on Thursday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.33 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The firm has a market cap of $11.76 billion, a PE ratio of 9.73, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.70.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.50. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.25%. The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.31 earnings per share. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 4.21%.

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.