D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Raises Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 99.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,450 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,200 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 118.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Universal Health Services by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 455 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on UHS. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $224.77.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 16.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $195.44 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.99 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $179.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.24.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.49%.

Universal Health Services Company 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.