Wedmont Private Capital Reduces Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Wedmont Private Capital trimmed its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 9.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,186 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 129 shares during the quarter. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $208,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UHS. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 118.3% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth $35,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 455 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.48, for a total value of $210,053.56. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,884 shares in the company, valued at $1,509,628.32. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of UHS opened at $173.52 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.99 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.31. The stock has a market cap of $11.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.31.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 4.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on UHS. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Baird R W downgraded Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $224.77.

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.