Raymond James Trust N.A. Takes Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,346 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $308,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position in Universal Health Services by 414.3% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 41.8% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 251 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.50.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 1.3 %

UHS stock opened at $203.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $206.96. The company has a market capitalization of $13.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.53, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.70 and a twelve month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio 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.