Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,790,000 shares, a growth of 43.1% from the February 28th total of 1,950,000 shares. Approximately 5.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 759,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $838,821,000 after purchasing an additional 44,099 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $623,840,000 after buying an additional 17,527 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $306,776,000 after acquiring an additional 52,042 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $222,721,000 after acquiring an additional 253,385 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after acquiring an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Universal Health Services stock traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $186.11. 732,451 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 739,104. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $152.69 and a 52-week high of $243.25. The company has a fifty day moving average of $181.91 and a 200-day moving average of $196.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UHS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.38.

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.