Stifel Financial Corp Grows Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,880 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 878 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $876,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $838,821,000 after purchasing an additional 44,099 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $306,776,000 after buying an additional 52,042 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $222,721,000 after buying an additional 253,385 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $274,248,000 after buying an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 624,143 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $111,984,000 after acquiring an additional 27,903 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 1.1 %

UHS stock opened at $181.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39. The business’s 50-day moving average is $176.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.24. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.99 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.70 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 4.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $224.00 price objective (down from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $224.77.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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. 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.