Forsta AP Fonden Boosts Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 181.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,700 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,200 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $5,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 320.0% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 126 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 302.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 141 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $267.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $238.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Universal Health Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six equities research 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.63.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.9%

UHS opened at $144.83 on Tuesday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $142.69 and a one year high of $246.32. The company has a market cap of $8.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.03, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $173.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $201.48.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.57% and a net margin of 8.56%.The business’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.84 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio 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.