ING Groep NV Acquires New Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Key Points

• ING Groep NV recently purchased a stake in Universal Health Services, Inc., investing approximately $1.41 million to acquire 7,497 shares during the first quarter.
• Universal Health Services has seen a range of analyst ratings, with an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $216.54, while its stock price recently traded at $172.51.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, reflecting a 0.5% dividend yield, scheduled for payment on September 16th.

ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,497 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,409,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UHS. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 73.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,049 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $4,135,000 after purchasing an additional 9,747 shares during the period. Prudential PLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 2,341 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth about $3,064,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 71.0% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 66,995 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $12,020,000 after purchasing an additional 27,819 shares during the period. Finally, Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth about $222,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group set a $227.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $224.00 target price (down previously from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $216.54.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 2.1%

UHS stock traded up $3.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $172.51. 606,363 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,056,873. The company has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $174.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.33 and a 52 week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.22%. The business's revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.31 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.48, for a total value of $210,053.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,884 shares in the company, valued at $1,509,628.32. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 16.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.