Atria Investments Inc Lowers Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Atria Investments Inc reduced its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 31.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,033 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 485 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 362.3% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $59,663,000 after acquiring an additional 252,846 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 357.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,308,000 after purchasing an additional 204,178 shares in the last quarter. Goldentree Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth $21,378,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 408.2% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 140,561 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,994,000 after buying an additional 112,902 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the second quarter valued at $18,031,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of UHS opened at $197.94 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.70 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The stock has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $218.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.35.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.55 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on UHS shares. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays raised their target price on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com lowered 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 boosted their price objective 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, Bank of America assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.14.

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.