Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 160,554 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 194.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 243,169 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 160,554 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $49,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 310.2% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,607,029 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $328,541,000 after buying an additional 1,215,286 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,494,464 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $305,510,000 after purchasing an additional 181,801 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,461,198 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $264,696,000 after purchasing an additional 145,730 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 926,669 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $167,866,000 after purchasing an additional 31,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 781,145 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $159,698,000 after purchasing an additional 141,621 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock opened at $186.18 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $211.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $211.73. The firm has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.33 and a 12 month high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The health services provider reported $5.88 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $4.50 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 8.57%.The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.92 EPS. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 22.640-24.520 EPS. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UHS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $262.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.