Sanders Morris Harris LLC Takes Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,890 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $591,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UHS. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $296,000. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $988,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,095 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 36,920 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $6,688,000 after acquiring an additional 3,092 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 581.6% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 24,675 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,626,000 after purchasing an additional 21,055 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on UHS. Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Mizuho set a $242.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group set a $231.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $234.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $224.90 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $222.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $195.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.27. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $246.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 8.09%.The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.71 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.80%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total transaction of $852,336.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,893,807.30. This trade represents a 31.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total transaction of $217,800.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,379,704.10. This represents a 13.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

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.