VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases Shares of 118,900 Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 118,900 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $17,679,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.9% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,554,670 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $677,234,000 after purchasing an additional 130,389 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 13,398.3% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,822,521 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,311,821,000 after buying an additional 8,757,161 shares in the last quarter. Paralel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth $1,919,000. AlphaGrep UK Ltd purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $746,000. Finally, BAM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $415,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $169.43 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $164.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $140.08 and a 12 month high of $246.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.06.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.94 by $0.04. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.39% and a net margin of 8.42%.The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 22.96 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 3.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $204.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $194.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.93.

About Universal Health Services

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.