Alliancebernstein L.P. Trims Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 18.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,913 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 16,621 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.11% of Universal Health Services worth $12,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 54,105 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $9,721,000 after purchasing an additional 9,946 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 255.3% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,345 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,559 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 175.6% in the fourth quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,792 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,779 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,176 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,467,000 after acquiring an additional 2,472 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

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Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:UHS traded down $3.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $175.05. 985,904 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 748,441. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's 50 day moving average is $179.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $152.69 and a one year high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 16.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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 downgraded Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $228.77.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

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.