Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $11.82 Million Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 5.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 66,026 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,685 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $11,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 1,390 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.3% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,794 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $841,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,858 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,595 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,490,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UHS. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $267.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $241.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Universal Health Services from $229.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $216.00 to $190.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $213.73.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 3.1%

UHS stock opened at $155.96 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $140.08 and a one year high of $246.32. The stock has a market cap of $9.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $150.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $179.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.41 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.56% and a return on equity of 19.57%. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.44 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is 3.33%.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

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.