Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Position Lifted by Meeder Asset Management Inc.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 81.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,087 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,856 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,997,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UHS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 414.3% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. KeyCorp started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $197.96 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.70 and a 1 year high of $243.25. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $220.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $205.80.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the health services provider to buy up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.