Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Reduces Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,759 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 68 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,033,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 86.4% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 21,047 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,820,000 after acquiring an additional 9,755 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1,436.5% in the third quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 54,070 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $12,383,000 after purchasing an additional 50,551 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the third quarter worth $13,496,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 2.2 %

Universal Health Services stock opened at $185.65 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $188.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $152.68 and a one year high of $243.25. The stock has a market cap of $12.25 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.30.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,770.85. This trade represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays increased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.14.

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.