Meeder Asset Management Inc. Sells 3,789 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 22.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,270 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 3,789 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,781,262 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $318,812,000 after acquiring an additional 192,351 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,201 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 185,281 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,160,000 after acquiring an additional 15,975 shares during the period. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at $7,512,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 162,100 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $29,011,000 after purchasing an additional 7,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on UHS. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $197.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $214.80.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.2%

UHS stock opened at $151.41 on Monday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $140.08 and a 52 week high of $246.32. The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a PE ratio of 6.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.41 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.56% and a return on equity of 19.57%. The business’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.84 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 3.33%.

Universal Health Services Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.