New York State Common Retirement Fund Cuts Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 4.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,362 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $5,517,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,964,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $222,721,000 after buying an additional 253,385 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth about $41,155,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Universal Health Services by 59.4% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 590,389 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $105,928,000 after buying an additional 219,942 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 119.1% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 322,163 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $57,802,000 after buying an additional 175,131 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UHS shares. Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $208.00 target price for the company. 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. 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. Bank of America lowered Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of Universal Health Services 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 transaction, the director owned 7,884 shares in the company, valued at $1,509,628.32. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS opened at $168.99 on Monday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.99 and a 12-month high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $10.98 billion, a PE ratio of 9.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $182.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $181.40.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 17.79%. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.49%.

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.