Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,532 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 168 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $843,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UHS. Czech National Bank increased its position in Universal Health Services by 45.8% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 10,861 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after buying an additional 3,411 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 10.8% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 28,456 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,578,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 13.4% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,300 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.1% in the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,816 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 33,440 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,204,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total value of $6,188,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of UHS stock opened at $165.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $170.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.10. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $183.61. The firm has a market cap of $11.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.43% and a net margin of 5.57%. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.34 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UHS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.07.

Universal Health Services 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.