VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Reduces Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lessened its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 16.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 402,622 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 79,700 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $82,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 347.6% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 188 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 240.0% during the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 204 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 354 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a $231.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $250.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Monday. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 target price on Universal Health Services and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $234.14.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $224.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $226.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $198.75. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $246.32. The firm has a market cap of $14.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 3.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,893,807.30. This trade represents a 31.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total value 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. The trade was a 13.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.