Ranmore Fund Management Ltd Buys Shares of 46,000 Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Key Points

• Ranmore Fund Management Ltd acquired a new position in Universal Health Services, purchasing 46,000 shares, valued at approximately $8.64 million, which represents 5.2% of its investment portfolio.
• Several hedge funds have recently adjusted their stakes in Universal Health Services, with notable increases from AQR Capital Management (up 59.4%) and Bridgewater Associates (up 119.1%).
• The quarterly earnings report for Universal Health Services showed an EPS of $5.35, exceeding analysts' expectations, and the company declared a $0.20 quarterly dividend with a yield of 0.5%.

Ranmore Fund Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 46,000 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,643,000. Universal Health Services comprises 5.2% of Ranmore Fund Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Ranmore Fund Management Ltd owned 0.07% of Universal Health Services as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,315,468 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $247,176,000 after acquiring an additional 74,128 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 596,280 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $106,985,000 after buying an additional 42,088 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 59.4% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 590,389 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $105,928,000 after buying an additional 219,942 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 504,804 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $94,853,000 after buying an additional 16,900 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 119.1% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 322,163 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $57,802,000 after buying an additional 175,131 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens upgraded shares of Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Bank of America cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $216.54.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $177.85. The company had a trading volume of 51,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 846,467. The stock has a market cap of $11.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.36, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.99. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.33 and a 12-month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.50. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.25%. The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.31 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is presently 4.21%.

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.