Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 181,801 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 13.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,494,464 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 181,801 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $305,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.2% in the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,250 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in Universal Health Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,512 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $718,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,217 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Choreo LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,838 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,665 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $501,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 2.6%

NYSE:UHS opened at $196.99 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $213.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.05. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $246.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.26.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The health services provider reported $5.88 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.92 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.50 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 19.65%. The company’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.92 EPS. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 22.640-24.520 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on UHS shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $253.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $250.00 to $229.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $232.21.

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.