Xponance Inc. Reduces Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Xponance Inc. trimmed its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,353 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 74 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UHS. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $323,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,518 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,951,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,485 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $340,000 after buying an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 3,032 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 603,705 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $138,254,000 after buying an additional 11,353 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on UHS shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.75.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $174.49 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $181.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $152.69 and a one year high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.