Warren Nimetz Sells 3,817 Shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Stock

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Warren Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total transaction of $852,336.10. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,481 shares in the company, valued at $1,893,807.30. This trade represents a 31.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $227.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $205.67 and a 200-day moving average of $188.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.33. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $231.37.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.66 by $1.03. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 8.09%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on UHS. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $227.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $233.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 price target on Universal Health Services and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.87.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 310.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,607,029 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $328,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215,286 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $87,373,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $83,333,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 100.6% in the second quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 2,560 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 426,211 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Universal Health Services by 57.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 931,355 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $173,381,000 after buying an additional 340,966 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

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.