Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Sold by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. has reduced its stake in Universal Health Services by 1.7%, selling 9,838 shares in the first quarter, leaving it with 574,905 shares valued at approximately $108 million.
• Following their earnings report, Universal Health Services exceeded expectations with earnings per share of $5.35, surpassing the estimate of $4.85, and reported a 9.6% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.5%, to be paid on September 16th to stockholders of record as of September 2nd.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 1.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 574,905 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 9,838 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.88% of Universal Health Services worth $108,025,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 49.3% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 89.7% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 258 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1,872.0% in the first quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 493 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on UHS shares. Robert W. Baird set a $203.00 target price on Universal Health Services and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Barclays increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group set a $227.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $213.77.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $178.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 611,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 850,336. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.62 billion, a PE ratio of 9.42, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.99.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 7.66%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.31 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.21%.

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.