Quadrature Capital Ltd Increases Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Quadrature Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 80.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,502 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 8,700 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $3,559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS traded up $8.70 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $213.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,474,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 800,823. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.90 and a 52-week high of $214.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $185.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.98. The company has a market capitalization of $14.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.53 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the health services provider to repurchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.37%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $198.00 to $236.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Baird R W raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.14.

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.