Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,790,000 shares, an increase of 43.1% from the February 28th total of 1,950,000 shares. Currently, 5.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 759,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS traded up $2.09 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $188.27. The company had a trading volume of 654,066 shares, compared to its average volume of 738,765. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $181.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $196.66. The company has a market capitalization of $12.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $152.69 and a 1 year high of $243.25.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Universal Health Services by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $838,821,000 after acquiring an additional 44,099 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $623,840,000 after purchasing an additional 17,527 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $306,776,000 after buying an additional 52,042 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $222,721,000 after purchasing an additional 253,385 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after buying an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $226.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Stephens upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.38.

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.