New York State Teachers Retirement System Boosts Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 0.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,677 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.10% of Universal Health Services worth $12,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 4,906.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,354 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $511,000 after acquiring an additional 3,287 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth about $564,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,532 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $843,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 44.7% during the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 27,013 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,118,000 after acquiring an additional 8,339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,436 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UHS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Baird R W upgraded Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $219.46.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded up $3.85 on Friday, hitting $233.14. 684,942 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 654,291. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $233.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $200.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $182.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.60 billion, a PE ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.53 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is 6.78%.

Universal Health Services declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the health services provider to reacquire up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,595.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total transaction of $531,209.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

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.