Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS Shares Purchased by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Key Points

• The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 113.5%, owning 242,500 shares worth approximately $45.57 million after purchasing an additional 128,900 shares.
• Analysts have mixed views on Universal Health Services, with ratings ranging from "strong-buy" to "sell," and a current consensus target price of $214.77.
• Universal Health Services reported strong financials with an EPS of $5.35, exceeding consensus estimates by $0.50, and plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.20 on September 16th.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 113.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 242,500 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 128,900 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.37% of Universal Health Services worth $45,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Wyoming boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 49.8% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,603 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $677,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 218.8% in the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 79,162 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $14,875,000 after acquiring an additional 54,331 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 43.9% in the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 12,001 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,255,000 after buying an additional 3,662 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 183,013 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $34,388,000 after purchasing an additional 1,481 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 117.8% during the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 30,992 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $5,824,000 after buying an additional 16,764 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS stock traded up $4.62 on Friday, hitting $190.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 206,041 shares, compared to its average volume of 835,347. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $176.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.43. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.33 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The stock has a market cap of $12.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.25%. Universal Health Services's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.31 EPS. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. Equities 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 disclosed 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 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 presently 4.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UHS shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Universal Health Services from $243.00 to $203.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $201.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. UBS Group set a $227.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $214.77.

Universal Health Services 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.