Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Sold by Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 45.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,701 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 7,159 shares during the period. Universal Health Services comprises 0.6% of Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,993,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 362.3% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $59,663,000 after purchasing an additional 252,846 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 357.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,308,000 after purchasing an additional 204,178 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,191.8% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 215,215 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $39,267,000 after purchasing an additional 198,555 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at $25,032,000. Finally, Goldentree Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at $21,378,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $200.99 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $13.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $221.73 and its 200-day moving average is $204.89. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $132.38 and a 52-week high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the health services provider to reacquire up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com lowered Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.14.

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.