Achmea Investment Management B.V. Boosts Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 131.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,128 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 28,509 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V. owned about 0.08% of Universal Health Services worth $8,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,750 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,391,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 82.0% during the fourth quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 31,624 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $5,674,000 after purchasing an additional 14,250 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth about $852,000. Amundi increased its position in Universal Health Services by 189.5% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 360,070 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $68,532,000 after buying an additional 235,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,015 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,617,000 after buying an additional 497 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UHS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $226.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $163.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.77 billion, a PE ratio of 10.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.68 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $201.91.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

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.