Ameriprise Financial Inc. Grows Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 329.4% in Q1, acquiring an additional 310,531 shares to reach a total of 404,806 shares.
• Universal Health Services reported $5.35 earnings per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.85, while its quarterly revenue grew by 9.6% year-over-year to $4.28 billion.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for September 2nd, and an annualized dividend yield of 0.4%.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 329.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 404,806 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 310,531 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.62% of Universal Health Services worth $76,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 89.7% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 258 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:UHS traded up $0.50 on Monday, reaching $181.72. 599,453 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 740,671. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day moving average of $175.47 and a 200-day moving average of $178.36. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for 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 18.25%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.31 earnings per share. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is 4.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $227.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $201.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $214.77.

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.