Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Acquired by Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 1,883.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,755 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,406 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $4,800,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $838,821,000 after buying an additional 44,099 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings 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 valued at $623,840,000 after acquiring an additional 17,527 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.0% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.9% during the 3rd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on UHS shares. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays decreased their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $230.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $178.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $11.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.69 and a 12-month 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’s 50-day moving average is $182.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $199.68.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. Research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

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.