Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Has $270.72 Million Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs cut its stake in Universal Health Services by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, but still held 1.24 million shares valued at about $270.7 million.
• Universal Health Services posted a strong quarterly beat, reporting $5.62 EPS on $4.50 billion in revenue, both above analyst estimates, with revenue up 9.6% year over year.
• Despite solid results, analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock’s consensus rating is Hold, with several firms trimming price targets, while UHS also announced a $0.20 quarterly dividend.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,241,730 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 238,241 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 1.99% of Universal Health Services worth $270,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,794 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 1,027 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,595 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $4,490,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,217 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on UHS shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on Universal Health Services from $229.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal Health Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Universal Health Services from $216.00 to $190.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Monday. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $218.63.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS opened at $145.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.05, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $169.69 and a 200 day moving average of $199.34. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $140.76 and a 12 month high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.57% and a net margin of 8.56%.Universal Health Services's revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.33%.

About Universal Health Services

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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