MQS Management LLC Invests $429,000 in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,283 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $429,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UHS. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 49.3% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, Platinum Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 488 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UHS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Baird R W cut Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Stephens raised Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $224.77.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE UHS traded down $6.54 on Tuesday, reaching $176.91. 582,270 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 785,444. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.99 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $183.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.58. The company has a market cap of $11.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 17.79%. The business's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.49%.

Universal Health Services Profile

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.