Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Shares in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired 26,524 shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter for approximately $4.98 million, reflecting growing institutional interest in the company.
• Universal Health Services reported better-than-expected earnings per share of $5.35 for the last quarter, surpassing analyst estimates and showing a revenue increase of 9.6% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, representing a 0.5% yield, with the next payment scheduled for September 16th.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 26,524 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,984,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UHS. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 99.2% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 12,450 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,234,000 after buying an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,858 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,307,000 after buying an additional 3,011 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,141,000. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 5.4% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,152 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on UHS. Guggenheim began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Baird R W lowered Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $218.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director owned 7,884 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,509,628.32. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.40% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS traded down $3.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $162.98. 1,130,460 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,034,741. The company has a market capitalization of $10.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.24. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.33 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50 day moving average of $176.95 and a 200 day moving average of $179.82.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 18.22% and a net margin of 7.66%. The company's revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.31 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.21%.

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.