Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Has $3.50 Million Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 543.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,299 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,299 shares during the quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $3,496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 347.6% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 188 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 240.0% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 204 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 89.7% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 258 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 22.9% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 354 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total value of $217,800.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,379,704.10. This represents a 13.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on 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 owned 8,481 shares in the company, valued at $1,893,807.30. This represents a 31.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $242.54 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $215.79 and its 200-day moving average is $192.44. The company has a market cap of $15.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.03. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.33 and a 52-week high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 8.09%.The business had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.32 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 3.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UHS. Zacks Research raised Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. UBS Group set a $231.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $219.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $232.64.

About Universal Health Services

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.