Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Stock Holdings Lifted by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 30.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,858 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,011 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 54,105 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $9,721,000 after purchasing an additional 9,946 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 255.3% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,345 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,559 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 175.6% during the fourth quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,792 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,779 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after purchasing an additional 10,578 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,176 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 2,472 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on UHS. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $224.00 target price (down from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $224.77.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $198.10 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $12.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.17, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $153.99 and a one year high of $243.25. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $178.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.70 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 4.49%.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.48, for a total value of $210,053.56. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,509,628.32. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

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.