Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Makes New $1.01 Million Investment in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 5,653 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $623,840,000 after purchasing an additional 17,527 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 4.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $379,403,000 after purchasing an additional 63,754 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 10,578 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 603,705 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $138,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,353 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 13.5% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 346,969 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $79,459,000 after purchasing an additional 41,218 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.5 %

Universal Health Services stock opened at $188.29 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $187.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.68 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The stock has a market cap of $12.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.30.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

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.