Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS Shares Purchased by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. by 44.6% in the first quarter, owning approximately $19.54 million worth of shares after acquiring 32,099 additional shares.
• Universal Health Services reported earnings of $5.35 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.85, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.6% to $4.28 billion.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.4%, set to be paid on September 16th.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 44.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 104,012 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 32,099 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.16% of Universal Health Services worth $19,544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 82.8% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 94,275 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $16,916,000 after purchasing an additional 42,714 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,858 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,307,000 after acquiring an additional 3,011 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 53.2% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 255,828 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $45,901,000 after acquiring an additional 88,835 shares during the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 99.2% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 12,450 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,234,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 32,845 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $5,893,000 after acquiring an additional 8,501 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $186.08 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.80, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.50. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 7.66%.The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.31 EPS. The company's revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast 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 Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UHS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 23rd. Stephens upgraded Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group set a $227.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $214.77.

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.

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