Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.20 on December 15th

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, November 15th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.20 per share by the health services provider on Friday, December 15th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%.

Universal Health Services has increased its dividend payment by an average of 10.1% per year over the last three years. Universal Health Services has a dividend payout ratio of 6.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Universal Health Services to earn $11.70 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 6.8%.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $134.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services has a 1-year low of $113.69 and a 1-year high of $158.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $127.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.76.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The health services provider reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.21. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 4.82% and a return on equity of 12.23%. The business had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.54 earnings per share. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 10.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on UHS shares. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, September 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $148.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $163.00 to $169.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $154.00 to $162.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,856,010 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,138,729,000 after acquiring an additional 146,820 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 2.3% in the first 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 3.3% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,206,558 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $153,353,000 after purchasing an additional 39,076 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 45.4% in the second 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, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Universal Health Services by 32.7% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 681,753 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $86,651,000 after purchasing an additional 167,836 shares in the last quarter. 85.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals, and outpatient and behavioral health care facilities. The company operates through Acute Care Hospital Services and Behavioral Health Care Services segments. Its 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.