Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Maria Ruderman Singer Sells 1,000 Shares

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Maria Ruderman Singer also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, December 11th, Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of Universal Health Services stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Universal Health Services stock traded down $2.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $172.48. 1,224,455 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 729,208. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $183.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $202.59. The stock has a market cap of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $152.68 and a one year high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 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 Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is 4.75%.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $838,821,000 after acquiring an additional 44,099 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $623,840,000 after purchasing an additional 17,527 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $306,776,000 after buying an additional 52,042 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $222,721,000 after buying an additional 253,385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after buying an additional 10,578 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Stephens lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $230.75.

Universal Health Services Company 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.