Swiss National Bank Lowers Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Swiss National Bank reduced its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 1.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 165,600 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 2,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $31,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 48.7% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 19,708 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,703,000 after purchasing an additional 6,456 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 6.1% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 271,393 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $50,995,000 after purchasing an additional 15,565 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Renasant Bank bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,263 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,492,000 after acquiring an additional 1,267 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $171.77 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.05, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $174.33 and its 200 day moving average is $179.02. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.33 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UHS shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Baird R W lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Universal Health Services to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.54.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.48, for a total transaction of $210,053.56. Following the transaction, the director owned 7,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,509,628.32. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

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.