3,302 Shares in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Purchased by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,302 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $592,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 13.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 188,765 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $43,227,000 after acquiring an additional 22,369 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $274,248,000 after purchasing an additional 10,578 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 63.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,884 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,671,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UHS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $224.00 target price (down from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Nine 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,509,628.32. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of UHS traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $186.29. 439,357 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 754,098. The stock has a market cap of $12.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.99 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $180.84 and a 200-day moving average of $184.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39.

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

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is currently 4.49%.

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.