Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Takes Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 17,065 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,064,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $838,821,000 after acquiring an additional 44,099 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $306,776,000 after purchasing an additional 52,042 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 27,903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 2.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 10,250 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,418,230.56. This trade represents a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on UHS shares. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays lowered their price target 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, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Monday, March 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $224.92.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $177.47. 104,606 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 746,059. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.69 and a 52 week high of $243.25. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $179.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.16. 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 $11.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.75%.

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.