D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Increases Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 99.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,450 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Choreo LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,060 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,266 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 488 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,512 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,418,230.56. This trade represents a 11.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 16.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS opened at $195.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.24. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.99 and a 1-year high of $243.25.

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

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on UHS. Barclays upped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Baird R W downgraded Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $224.00 price objective (down from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $224.77.

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.