Covestor Ltd Sells 68 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Covestor Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 706 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 68 shares during the quarter. Covestor Ltd’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $87,020,000 after purchasing an additional 569,096 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $86,117,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 12,924.9% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $76,820,000 after acquiring an additional 500,066 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth about $49,212,000. Finally, 8 Knots Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,010,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded up $1.75 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $187.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 363,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 619,941. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $184.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.12. The firm has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $119.90 and a one year high of $194.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UHS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com raised Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $198.00 to $236.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.21.

About Universal Health Services

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.