Wellington Management Group LLP Cuts Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Wellington Management Group LLP lowered its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 0.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,302 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $3,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 414.3% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE UHS opened at $182.60 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $12.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $147.33 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company has a 50-day moving average of $206.37 and a 200-day moving average of $208.50.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.14.

About Universal Health Services

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.