Covestor Ltd Decreases Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Covestor Ltd trimmed its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 589 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 164 shares during the quarter. Covestor Ltd’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $105,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 53,658 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $9,627,000 after purchasing an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 294.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 68,799 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $12,344,000 after buying an additional 51,359 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 20,496 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth $29,301,000. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 73,445 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $13,178,000 after acquiring an additional 587 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $175.05 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $179.93 and a 200-day moving average of $192.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.69 and a 12 month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. Sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $208.00 price target for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.77.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

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.