GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 137,856 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 16,935.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 138,670 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 137,856 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.21% of Universal Health Services worth $26,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $274,248,000 after purchasing an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 43.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 461 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,104 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,060 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Stephens upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Baird R W cut Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.77.

Insider Activity

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.48, for a total value of $210,053.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,884 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,509,628.32. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 16.40% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of UHS stock traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $189.46. 379,386 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 751,425. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company's 50-day moving average price is $182.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $184.03. The company has a market cap of $12.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.31. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.99 and a 12 month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.48. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The business had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.70 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.