Bridgewater Associates LP Acquires 25,266 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 20.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 147,032 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,266 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP owned about 0.22% of Universal Health Services worth $33,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 414.3% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 41.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 251 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UHS shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. 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. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.50.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 3.5 %

NYSE:UHS opened at $206.13 on Wednesday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.70 and a twelve month high of $243.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $217.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $206.76.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its 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). Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.