Leuthold Group LLC Buys 1,962 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Leuthold Group LLC grew its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 9.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,215 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,962 shares during the quarter. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $4,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,595.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, 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 transaction of $531,209.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. UBS Group raised 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. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $189.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.92.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $234.69 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market cap of $15.71 billion, a PE ratio of 19.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $216.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.16. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $119.90 and a one year high of $241.95.

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

Universal Health Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the health services provider to purchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

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.