Abacus Planning Group Inc. Takes Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Abacus Planning Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,013 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.8% during 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 buying an additional 57,036 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 42.8% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $112,278,000 after purchasing an additional 220,823 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $87,020,000 after purchasing an additional 569,096 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 12,924.9% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $76,820,000 after purchasing an additional 500,066 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.5% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,438 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $89,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UHS shares. Barclays raised Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a report on Friday, July 26th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $224.92.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $215.17 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $14.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $227.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.65.

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

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

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

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.