CastleKnight Management LP Grows Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

CastleKnight Management LP increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 156.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,750 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,900 shares during the quarter. CastleKnight Management LP's holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $852,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services by 118.3% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth about $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded down $2.04 on Friday, reaching $181.73. The stock had a trading volume of 828,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 751,991. The business's 50-day moving average price is $176.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.99 and a 12-month high of $243.25. The company has a market cap of $11.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.48. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.70 EPS. Universal Health Services's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is presently 4.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on UHS. Morgan Stanley assumed 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 objective for the company. Baird R W cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $224.77.

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.