Insider Selling: Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This trade represents a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Maria Ruderman Singer also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, December 11th, Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of Universal Health Services stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $172.48 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.68 and a twelve month high of $243.25. The company has a fifty day moving average of $183.63 and a 200-day moving average of $202.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 4.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $230.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at $67,964,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $222,721,000 after buying an additional 253,385 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 189.5% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 360,070 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $68,532,000 after purchasing an additional 235,689 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,155,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 59.4% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 590,389 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $105,928,000 after buying an additional 219,942 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.