Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 192,351 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 12.1% in the first quarter, buying 192,351 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,781,262 shares worth about $318.8 million.
• Several analysts have turned more cautious on UHS, with recent downgrades and lower price targets; the stock now carries a consensus Hold rating and a $213.73 average price target.
• UHS reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting earnings of $5.62 per share on $4.50 billion in revenue, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,781,262 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 192,351 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.92% of Universal Health Services worth $318,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 302.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 141 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays cut shares of Universal Health Services from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $179.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $229.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $213.73.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Universal Health Services stock opened at $149.35 on Thursday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $151.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $9.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.07. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $140.08 and a 12-month high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.41 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.57% and a net margin of 8.56%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.84 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 3.33%.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc NYSE: UHS is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS's facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.

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