Contravisory Investment Management Inc. Takes $481,000 Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,102 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $481,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,335,000 after purchasing an additional 57,036 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $112,278,000 after purchasing an additional 220,823 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,438 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $89,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 41.2% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 455,773 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $83,160,000 after purchasing an additional 132,942 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $59,663,000 after buying an additional 252,846 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.92.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock opened at $212.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $227.48 and its 200 day moving average is $196.96. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.28.

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

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.87%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at $864,248.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535 over the last ninety days. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.