Foster & Motley Inc. Purchases 586 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 29.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,557 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $473,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,295,335,000 after acquiring an additional 57,036 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,071,022 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $315,707,000 after acquiring an additional 103,802 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $112,278,000 after acquiring an additional 220,823 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 582,809 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $88,843,000 after acquiring an additional 5,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $87,020,000 after acquiring an additional 569,096 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays raised Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $198.00 to $256.00 in a report on Friday, July 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Monday, August 19th. Baird R W raised Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $222.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at $864,248.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $864,248.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. 16.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS opened at $229.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $209.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.61. The stock has a market cap of $15.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $241.95.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.53 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.78%.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the health services provider to purchase up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services 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.