AQR Capital Management LLC Purchases 340,966 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. by 57.8%, owning a total of 931,355 shares worth approximately $173.4 million after purchasing an additional 340,966 shares.
• Universal Health Services reported $5.35 earnings per share for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.85, with a revenue increase of 9.6% year-over-year to $4.28 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, representing a 0.4% yield, with the payout set to occur on September 16th to shareholders on record by September 2nd.

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 57.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 931,355 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 340,966 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 1.43% of Universal Health Services worth $173,381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 27.8% in the first quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 13,428 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,523,000 after buying an additional 2,918 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 10.7% in the first quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,425 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,395,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth about $436,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 182.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 130,735 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $24,566,000 after buying an additional 84,459 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 46.6% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 544 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 2.3%

UHS traded down $4.46 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $185.67. 637,035 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 836,916. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $176.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.41. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.33 and a 52-week high of $243.25. 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 $11.82 billion, a PE ratio of 9.78, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.50. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 7.66%.The company had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.31 EPS. Universal Health Services's revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America downgraded Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group set a $227.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Universal Health Services from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $201.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $214.77.

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.