National Pension Service Increases Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 32.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,203 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 15,953 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $14,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.3% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,794 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 1,027 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $841,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,217 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.7% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,665 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UHS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research cut Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut Universal Health Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $229.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $221.56.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $145.78 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $202.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.07. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $145.60 and a 12 month high of $246.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.57% and a net margin of 8.56%.Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.84 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.34 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.33%.

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.