Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Takes Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,934 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $535,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 51.2% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 62,949 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $7,915,000 after purchasing an additional 21,325 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 6.9% during the third quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 6,483 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $815,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth about $412,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth about $1,157,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.3% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 634,646 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $79,794,000 after acquiring an additional 1,646 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UHS. Mizuho boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $156.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $189.00 to $226.00 in a report on Monday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.14.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of UHS stock traded up $2.17 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $189.87. The company had a trading volume of 721,588 shares, compared to its average volume of 609,401. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $178.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.56. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $119.90 and a one year high of $193.48.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 6.78%.

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.