Burney Co. Has $5.50 Million Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Burney Co. lowered its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 821 shares during the period. Burney Co.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $5,495,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Universal Health Services by 414.3% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 41.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 251 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the third quarter valued at about $64,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of UHS stock opened at $185.52 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $12.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.30. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $150.11 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $192.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39.

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

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,770.85. This trade represents a 21.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UHS. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.14.

Universal Health Services 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.