Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Bought by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,988 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 54,105 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $9,721,000 after buying an additional 9,946 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 255.3% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,345 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after buying an additional 4,559 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 175.6% in the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,792 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 1,779 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 86.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 21,047 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,820,000 after buying an additional 9,755 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $274,248,000 after buying an additional 10,578 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $178.25 on Thursday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.68 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $184.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $203.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $11.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. On average, analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UHS. Barclays decreased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.77.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

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.