Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.20 on June 16th

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, May 14th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of 0.20 per share by the health services provider on Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd.

Universal Health Services has a payout ratio of 3.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Universal Health Services to earn $17.69 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.5%.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS opened at $190.32 on Friday. Universal Health Services has a 1-year low of $153.99 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a market cap of $12.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.65, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $181.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.48. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim started coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $208.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $224.00 target price (down previously from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Baird R W lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $224.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. This trade represents a 11.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $235,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 80.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,631 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $494,000 after purchasing an additional 1,174 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,665 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

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.