Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Acquires 109,074 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Key Points

• Los Angeles Capital Management increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 47.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 109,074 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 339,326 shares worth about $74.2 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted or initiated positions in UHS, and hedge funds and other institutions own 86.05% of the company’s stock.
• UHS recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $5.62 on revenue of $4.50 billion, while analysts have trimmed price targets and the stock currently carries a Hold consensus rating.

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 47.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 339,326 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 109,074 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.54% of Universal Health Services worth $74,207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 310.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,607,029 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $328,541,000 after buying an additional 1,215,286 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $199,334,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 100.6% during the 2nd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 2,560 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 426,211 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 262.4% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 358,885 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $73,370,000 after buying an additional 259,861 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Varenne Capital Partners purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,670,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on UHS. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $216.00 to $190.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $229.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $233.00 to $212.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research cut Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $267.00 to $230.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $218.63.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $145.14 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $169.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $199.34. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $140.76 and a one year high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.84 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.47 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is 3.33%.

Universal Health Services 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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