American Century Companies Inc. Raises Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 624,143 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,903 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.95% of Universal Health Services worth $111,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services by 118.3% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.75.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of UHS opened at $174.49 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $181.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.55. The company has a market cap of $11.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.69 and a 52-week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. The company 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%. Analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, 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 directly owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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.