Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Boosts Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 28.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,076 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,620,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 4.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,160 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 19.5% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 386 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 11.4% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 624 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 283 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,455 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $233.62 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $229.19 and its 200 day moving average is $199.34. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $119.90 and a one year high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $15.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.27.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.53 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program 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 buy up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on UHS. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $220.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,844.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total transaction of $180,293.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $421,038.35. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

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.