Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Position Increased by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 3.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 504,804 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,900 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.78% of Universal Health Services worth $94,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 49.3% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 55.6% during 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 during the period. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth about $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on UHS shares. Robert W. Baird restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $224.00 target price (down previously from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $208.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Baird R W cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.48, for a total transaction of $210,053.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,509,628.32. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 16.40% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock traded down $1.47 on Friday, hitting $182.58. The company had a trading volume of 402,466 shares, compared to its average volume of 785,665. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $183.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $181.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.99 and a 52 week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 17.79%. The business's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.70 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is 4.49%.

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.