Wells Fargo & Company MN Trims Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Wells Fargo & Company MN lowered its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 25.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,784 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 16,409 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned about 0.07% of Universal Health Services worth $8,573,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 54,105 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $9,721,000 after purchasing an additional 9,946 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 255.3% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,345 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,138,000 after buying an additional 4,559 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 175.6% in the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,792 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,779 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,176 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,467,000 after acquiring an additional 2,472 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.40% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded up $6.74 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $168.04. 164,144 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 785,555. The firm has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $153.99 and a one year high of $243.25. The stock's fifty day moving average is $177.79 and its 200 day moving average is $190.18.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share 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 net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UHS. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $224.92.

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.