Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Buys 3,591 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 37.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,252 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,591 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,378,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UHS. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $838,821,000 after purchasing an additional 44,099 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $306,776,000 after acquiring an additional 52,042 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $222,721,000 after acquiring an additional 253,385 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $274,248,000 after acquiring an additional 10,578 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 624,143 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $111,984,000 after buying an additional 27,903 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UHS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 research report on Monday, March 10th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $224.92.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $174.57. 585,657 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 745,985. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.10 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The company has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a PEG 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. The firm's 50-day moving average is $178.66 and its 200 day moving average is $190.96.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.