New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 5,118 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 40,357 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 5,118 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $6,152,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,398,974 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $427,353,000 after purchasing an additional 134,122 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Universal Health Services by 48.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,967,220 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $247,339,000 after buying an additional 638,166 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 12.9% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,707,708 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $214,710,000 after buying an additional 195,650 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 0.4% in the third quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 1,463,921 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $184,059,000 after acquiring an additional 6,400 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,090,010 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $137,047,000 after acquiring an additional 37,243 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UHS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $181.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.79.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock opened at $167.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $171.17 and a 200-day moving average of $154.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.26. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $183.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the firm’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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.