Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Sells 1,555 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lowered its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,285,793 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 1,555 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $230,697,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UHS. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $311,000. DnB Asset Management AS raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 10,967 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,968,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth $235,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 18,154 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,257,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,052,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE UHS opened at $186.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.69 and a 52 week high of $243.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $181.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $197.19. The company has a market cap of $12.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 4.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on UHS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.38.

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.