Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Purchased by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 16.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,870 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $657,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 86.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 21,047 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,820,000 after purchasing an additional 9,755 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth about $13,496,000. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,794,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 174.3% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 41,623 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $9,532,000 after purchasing an additional 26,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 3,477,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 34,772 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $7,963,000 after purchasing an additional 34,771 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,770.85. This trade represents a 21.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on UHS. StockNews.com lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Bank of America started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.29.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.8 %

Universal Health Services stock opened at $184.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $206.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.55. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $147.33 and a 1 year high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.32%.

About Universal Health Services

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.