Park Avenue Securities LLC Raises Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 87.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,405 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,521 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $1,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 118.3% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Guggenheim began coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Stephens upgraded Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $224.00 price objective (down from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $224.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $210,053.56. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,509,628.32. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.6%

UHS traded down $2.71 on Friday, hitting $170.95. The company had a trading volume of 667,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 760,724. The company has a market cap of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $181.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.93. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.99 and a 12-month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Universal Health Services's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is 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.