KBC Group NV Purchases 15,975 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

KBC Group NV boosted its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 9.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,281 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,975 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $33,160,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $460,590,000 after acquiring an additional 505,575 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,588,911 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $346,447,000 after acquiring an additional 94,447 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,206,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $262,932,000 after purchasing an additional 80,236 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth about $199,334,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 59.5% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 871,377 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $189,978,000 after purchasing an additional 325,162 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on UHS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $233.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $213.73.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of UHS opened at $150.66 on Tuesday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $140.08 and a fifty-two week high of $246.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $152.05 and a 200 day moving average of $181.46. The firm has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.57% and a net margin of 8.56%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.84 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.44 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3.33%.

Universal Health Services Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.