Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Purchases 45,510 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 72.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 107,973 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,510 shares during the period. Universal Health Services accounts for about 1.1% of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. owned approximately 0.17% of Universal Health Services worth $18,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 16.6% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,029 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,851,000 after purchasing an additional 1,430 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth about $1,141,000. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 5.4% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,152 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $968,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. CX Institutional bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth about $74,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 20.0% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 80,408 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $15,109,000 after acquiring an additional 13,413 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on UHS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group set a $227.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $243.00 to $203.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $217.08.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS opened at $196.33 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $187.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $181.77. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.33 and a twelve month high of $240.26.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.25%. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.31 earnings per share. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 4.21%.

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.