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

Citigroup Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS – Get Rating) by 68.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 25,914 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 55,066 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $3,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 4,785.7% in the fourth quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 342 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 33.3% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 96.1% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 449 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Universal Health Services stock opened at $134.63 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $132.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.25. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.50 and a 12-month high of $154.65.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.19. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.05% and a return on equity of 12.33%. The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 10.25 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 31st. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 8.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, CFO Steve Filton sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.08, for a total transaction of $3,477,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,045,704. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 25,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.08, for a total value of $3,477,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 93,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,045,704. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lawrence S. Gibbs sold 793 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.31, for a total value of $96,991.83. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,751.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,258 shares of company stock worth $10,733,371 in the last 90 days. 15.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Universal Health Services from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM reiterated a “maintains” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $150.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.71.

About Universal Health Services

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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.