Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 100,956 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 5,655 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $23,120,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UHS. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 25,363 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,690,000 after purchasing an additional 1,497 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,438 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $89,957,000 after acquiring an additional 2,620 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $548,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 37.0% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 667 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This trade represents a 21.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. Barclays raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price objective for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $181.22 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $11.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $201.44 and its 200 day moving average is $208.01. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.11 and a 52 week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.32%.

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.