Beck Bode LLC Invests $526,000 in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Beck Bode LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,901 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $526,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,315,468 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $247,176,000 after acquiring an additional 74,128 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 9.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,241,738 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $233,311,000 after purchasing an additional 102,137 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 57.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 931,355 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $173,381,000 after purchasing an additional 340,966 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.7% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 634,592 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $119,240,000 after purchasing an additional 10,449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth $87,373,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.9%

UHS stock opened at $224.58 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.33. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.33 and a 52 week high of $229.76. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $203.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.71 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UHS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $219.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Universal Health Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 target price on Universal Health Services and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total value of $217,800.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,379,704.10. This trade represents a 13.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.