Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Director Sells $852,336.10 in Stock

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Warren Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total transaction of $852,336.10. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,893,807.30. The trade was a 31.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of UHS traded up $2.98 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $227.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 11,619 shares, compared to its average volume of 795,179. The company’s 50-day moving average is $203.90 and its 200-day moving average is $187.76. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.33 and a 52-week high of $229.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.33. 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.66 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 19.47%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 14,800 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,026,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 10,491 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,145,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 14.9% in the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth $201,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 2.8% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 52,036 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $10,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,399 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho set a $242.00 price objective on Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $219.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.20.

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.