Handelsbanken Fonder AB Purchases 600 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,900 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UHS. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,436 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $829,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. abrdn plc boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 44.7% during the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 27,013 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 8,339 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth $217,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,532 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $843,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,855 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,264,000 after purchasing an additional 4,174 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.64.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total value of $6,188,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.6 %

UHS stock opened at $166.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $183.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $170.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.50.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.