Legal & General Group Plc Sells 79,001 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 18.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 356,905 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 79,001 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.54% of Universal Health Services worth $64,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $838,821,000 after buying an additional 44,099 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $306,776,000 after purchasing an additional 52,042 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $222,721,000 after buying an additional 253,385 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 10,578 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 624,143 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $111,984,000 after buying an additional 27,903 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS traded up $1.44 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $175.10. 206,048 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 745,616. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $179.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.91. The company has a market cap of $11.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.69 and a 52-week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion for 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 16.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UHS has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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. Baird R W cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $224.00 target price (down previously from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.92.

Universal Health Services 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.