Maria Ruderman Singer Sells 1,614 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Stock

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.5 %

UHS opened at $187.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $207.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $208.13. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $147.33 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The company had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.55 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UHS shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $623,840,000 after buying an additional 17,527 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 4.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $379,403,000 after purchasing an additional 63,754 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 603,705 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $138,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,353 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,438 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $89,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 346,969 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $79,459,000 after purchasing an additional 41,218 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal Health Services

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.