Voya Investment Management LLC Raises Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Voya Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 24.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 126,793 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,188 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $25,922,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter worth $87,373,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the second quarter worth about $83,333,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. raised 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 worth $464,000 after buying an additional 426,211 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 57.8% in 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 during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 329.4% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 404,806 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $76,081,000 after buying an additional 310,531 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total transaction of $217,800.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,379,704.10. The trade was a 13.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total value of $852,336.10. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,893,807.30. This trade represents a 31.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 16.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock opened at $227.47 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $223.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.35. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.33 and a 12 month high of $246.32. The stock has a market cap of $14.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.27.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.71 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 3.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UHS shares. Mizuho set a $242.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $219.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group set a $231.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $234.14.

About Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.