Royal Bank of Canada Raises Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 182.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 130,735 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 84,459 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned approximately 0.20% of Universal Health Services worth $24,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 329.4% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 404,806 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $76,081,000 after buying an additional 310,531 shares during the last quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,151.1% during the 4th quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 152,454 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $27,353,000 after buying an additional 140,268 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 16,935.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 138,670 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $26,056,000 after purchasing an additional 137,856 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at $25,555,000. Finally, Man Group plc raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 307.5% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 178,648 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $32,053,000 after purchasing an additional 134,810 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UHS traded up $0.79 on Tuesday, hitting $186.55. The company had a trading volume of 461,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 665,957. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.33 and a 52-week high of $243.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $176.31 and a 200 day moving average of $178.51. The company has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a PE ratio of 9.82, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 7.66%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.31 earnings per share. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UHS. UBS Group set a $227.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Stephens upgraded Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Bank of America lowered Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $243.00 to $203.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $214.77.

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.