Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 9,755 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 86.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,047 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,755 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $4,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth about $248,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 24.0% in the first quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,350 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $794,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth approximately $59,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 134.2% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,744 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,595,000 after buying an additional 5,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth about $642,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $223.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their target price 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 note on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $225.50.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded up $1.36 during trading on Friday, hitting $204.86. 375,780 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 686,370. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $133.70 and a one year high of $243.25. The stock's fifty day moving average is $215.48 and its 200 day moving average is $206.91. 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 firm has a market cap of $13.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

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.