Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $7.30 Million Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 39.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,926 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,488 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned approximately 0.06% of Universal Health Services worth $7,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UHS. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.6% in the third 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 stake in Universal Health Services by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $379,403,000 after buying an additional 63,754 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after acquiring an additional 10,578 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 603,705 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $138,254,000 after acquiring an additional 11,353 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 487,904 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $87,540,000 after acquiring an additional 10,250 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UHS. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens upped their price target on shares of 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 lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $230.75.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 2.3 %

UHS stock opened at $167.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.68 and a twelve month high of $243.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $182.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $200.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. Analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 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.