HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 421 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,223 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 421 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $3,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,160 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 386 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,238 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 283 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 25th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Barclays increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.50.

Insider Activity

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 2.2 %

UHS stock opened at $186.44 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $143.96 and a 52 week high of $243.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $208.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $208.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $12.30 billion, a PE ratio of 12.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.55 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

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.