LRI Investments LLC Invests $43,000 in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 240 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $43,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 53,239 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $8,116,000 after buying an additional 7,616 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 29,932 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,570,000 after buying an additional 1,476 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 4,906.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,354 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $511,000 after buying an additional 3,287 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 3,383 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $516,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 34,178 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $5,210,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on UHS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Universal Health Services from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. UBS Group upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $189.00 to $226.00 in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on 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 upgraded Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.00.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 4.2 %

Shares of UHS traded up $8.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $213.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,474,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 800,823. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $214.64. The stock has a market cap of $14.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $185.59 and its 200 day moving average is $173.98.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.53 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 16.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the health services provider to purchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.78%.

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.