Warren J. Nimetz Sells 3,444 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Stock

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $864,248.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS opened at $221.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $14.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.90 and a 52-week high of $221.66. The business’s 50 day moving average is $193.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.04.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The business’s revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.53 EPS. Analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.78%.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the health services provider to purchase up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $87,020,000 after buying an additional 569,096 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth $86,117,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 12,924.9% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $76,820,000 after buying an additional 500,066 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth $49,212,000. Finally, 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth $40,010,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $216.31.

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.