Clough Capital Partners L P Buys Shares of 76,650 Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Clough Capital Partners L P bought a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 76,650 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $16,711,000. Universal Health Services makes up about 1.5% of Clough Capital Partners L P’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 22.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 781,145 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $159,698,000 after purchasing an additional 141,621 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth about $1,912,000. BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 161.3% during the fourth quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,199 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $9,203,000 after purchasing an additional 26,047 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,215,286 shares during the period. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 174.1% during the third quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 73,266 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $14,979,000 after purchasing an additional 46,535 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 3.9%

UHS stock opened at $141.19 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $164.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $194.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $140.08 and a fifty-two week high of $246.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.88, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.07.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.56% and a return on equity of 19.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.47 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is 3.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $245.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $268.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.63.

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.