Legal & General Group Plc Sells 21,883 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc reduced its stake in Universal Health Services by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 21,883 shares and leaving it with 217,122 shares valued at about $47.3 million.
• UHS reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $5.62 per share versus estimates of $5.41, with revenue of $4.50 billion also topping expectations and rising 9.6% from a year earlier.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious overall: UHS has an average Hold rating and a consensus price target of $221.56, while several firms recently trimmed their targets and one downgraded the stock.

Legal & General Group Plc lessened its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 217,122 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 21,883 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.35% of Universal Health Services worth $47,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in Universal Health Services by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $460,590,000 after acquiring an additional 505,575 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Universal Health Services by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,494,464 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $305,510,000 after acquiring an additional 181,801 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Universal Health Services by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,125,764 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $230,151,000 after acquiring an additional 40,533 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 781,145 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $159,698,000 after acquiring an additional 141,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management grew its position in Universal Health Services by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 756,922 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $165,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UHS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday. Stephens dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $245.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Universal Health Services from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $221.56.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS opened at $145.78 on Friday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $145.60 and a 12-month high of $246.32. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $173.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $202.18. The company has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.07, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.13.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.57% and a net margin of 8.56%.The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.84 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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