499 Shares in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Purchased by AlphaCentric Advisors LLC

28 Aug 2024, 09:05 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 499 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $92,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.5% in the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 2,620 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.7% during the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 66,677 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $12,331,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the period. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.3% in the second quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 13,305 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,460,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 25,363 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,690,000 after buying an additional 1,497 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other 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 transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UHS shares. StockNews.com raised Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $219.46.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on UHS

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of UHS traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $233.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 493,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 653,893. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $235.21. The stock has a market cap of $15.60 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $200.04 and its 200 day moving average is $182.77.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the health services provider to buy up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.34%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

About Universal Health Services

(Free Report)

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.