Distillate Capital Partners LLC Invests $13.68 Million in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Distillate Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 73,985 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $13,682,000. Distillate Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.11% of Universal Health Services at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,335,000 after buying an additional 57,036 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $112,278,000 after acquiring an additional 220,823 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $87,020,000 after purchasing an additional 569,096 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 12,924.9% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $76,820,000 after purchasing an additional 500,066 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,438 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $89,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,595.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total transaction of $531,209.25. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,595.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Universal Health Services stock opened at $240.59 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $220.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.90. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $241.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $16.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the health services provider to reacquire up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UHS. StockNews.com raised Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.