Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Bought by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 100.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,237 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,122 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,160 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 386 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.1% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.0% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,238 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $512,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 516 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Bank of America started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price 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 cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.50.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS stock opened at $186.44 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $143.96 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $208.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $208.06. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

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.