Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Sold by Gateway Investment Advisers LLC

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC cut its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 0.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,285 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 52 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC owned 0.07% of Universal Health Services worth $10,829,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 362.3% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $59,663,000 after purchasing an additional 252,846 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $112,278,000 after acquiring an additional 220,823 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 357.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,308,000 after acquiring an additional 204,178 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1,191.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 215,215 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $39,267,000 after acquiring an additional 198,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,032,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $864,248.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total value of $180,293.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $421,038.35. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of UHS opened at $214.33 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $227.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $197.35. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $119.90 and a twelve month high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.71, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.27.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. The business 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 business’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.53 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the health services provider to repurchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 0.37%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Baird R W raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $189.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Six equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.92.

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.