Bridgewater Associates LP Has $33.67 Million Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 20.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 147,032 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,266 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $33,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 414.3% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 41.8% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 251 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on UHS. Barclays increased their price objective 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.50.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Universal Health Services stock opened at $206.13 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $217.31 and a 200-day moving average of $206.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29. 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 52 week low of $133.70 and a 52 week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 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 business had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share 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 $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

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.