Moran Wealth Management LLC Invests $3.98 Million in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Moran Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 17,374 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,979,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5,033.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,084 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 6,946 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 501.5% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 5,919 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 4,935 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth about $642,000. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 403.2% in the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 7,321 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,353,000 after purchasing an additional 5,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 134.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,744 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,595,000 after acquiring an additional 5,010 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target 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. Finally, KeyCorp assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a "sector weight" rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:UHS traded down $0.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $196.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 393,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 681,778. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $12.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $219.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $205.95. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.70 and a 12 month high of $243.25.

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

Universal Health Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the health services provider to reacquire up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.32%.

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.