NBC Securities Inc. Boosts Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 106,400.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,520 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 8,512 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,600,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $274,248,000 after purchasing an additional 10,578 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,671,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 43.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 461 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,061 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,267,000 after buying an additional 1,396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Baird R W downgraded Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.77.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

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

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS remained flat at $188.81 during midday trading on Wednesday. 497,436 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 752,102. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $181.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $184.06. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.99 and a 12-month high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.27 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.31.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.48. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.70 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is 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.