Humankind Investments LLC Raises Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Humankind Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,647 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Humankind Investments LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 54,105 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $9,721,000 after buying an additional 9,946 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 255.3% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,345 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,138,000 after acquiring an additional 4,559 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 175.6% in the fourth quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,792 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,779 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $274,248,000 after acquiring an additional 10,578 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,176 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 2,472 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock opened at $181.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.99 and a 52-week high of $243.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $176.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.91.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.70 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Baird R W downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Stephens boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $208.00 price target for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $224.77.

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.