Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,074 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UHS. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 118.3% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 414.3% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth approximately $69,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $167.83 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $10.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $182.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $200.70. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.68 and a twelve month high of $243.25. 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 (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. As a group, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.75%.

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.