New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 5,118 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,357 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 5,118 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.06% of Universal Health Services worth $6,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 49,769 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $7,587,000 after purchasing an additional 4,677 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $300,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,900 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,509,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,436 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 44.7% in the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 27,013 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 8,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UHS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $156.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.79.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $167.70 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $183.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $171.17 and its 200-day moving average is $154.55. The company has a market capitalization of $11.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.34%. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.34 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals, and outpatient and behavioral health care facilities. It operates through Acute Care Hospital Services and Behavioral Health Care Services segments. The company's hospitals offer general and specialty surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic and coronary care, pediatric services, pharmacy services, and/or behavioral health services.