Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS – Get Rating) by 31.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,126 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,856,010 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,138,729,000 after purchasing an additional 146,820 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,026,512 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $728,594,000 after purchasing an additional 113,259 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,101,218 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $97,105,000 after purchasing an additional 8,038 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 45.4% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 802,139 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $80,784,000 after purchasing an additional 250,295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 597,749 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $86,644,000 after purchasing an additional 22,807 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Universal Health Services news, Director Lawrence S. Gibbs sold 1,568 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.29, for a total transaction of $201,158.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $387,820.67. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 3,107 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.53, for a total value of $439,733.71. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $779,547.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lawrence S. Gibbs sold 1,568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.29, for a total value of $201,158.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $387,820.67. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 76,258 shares of company stock valued at $10,733,371 over the last 90 days. 15.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Universal Health Services Stock Performance
Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.45 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 12.33% and a net margin of 5.05%. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 10.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Universal Health Services Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.50%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have recently commented on UHS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $133.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research cut Universal Health Services from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on Universal Health Services from $153.00 to $163.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $137.71.
Universal Health Services Profile
Universal Health Services, Inc operates as a healthcare management company, which through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals, behavioral health centers, and outpatient facilities. It operates through the following segments: Acute Care Hospital Services, Behavioral Health Care Services, and Other.
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