Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS Shares Bought 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 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,012 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 32,099 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.16% of Universal Health Services worth $19,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 49.3% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 89.7% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 258 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UHS shares. Barclays lifted their target price 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Stephens upgraded Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $227.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $214.77.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of UHS stock traded down $3.32 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $186.26. 636,166 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 675,923. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $176.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $178.74. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.33 and a 52-week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

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

Universal Health Services Company 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.