Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Sold by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 59,823 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 8,194 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.09% of Universal Health Services worth $13,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,160 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services by 19.5% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 386 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services by 1.1% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,306,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.0% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,238 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $512,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 283 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UHS shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. KeyCorp began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a "sector weight" rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $225.50.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE UHS traded up $1.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $205.00. The company had a trading volume of 375,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 768,309. The company has a market capitalization of $13.52 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $214.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $133.70 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 EPS. Universal Health Services's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.32%.

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.