Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Raises Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Key Points

• Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. by 3.7%, acquiring an additional 1,614 shares during the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to 45,009 shares, worth approximately $8.15 million.
• Universal Health Services reported an EPS of $5.35 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.85, while revenue rose by 9.6% year-over-year to $4.28 billion.
• The company's stock opened at $188.63 and has a market capitalization of $12 billion, reflecting a PE ratio of 9.93 and a dividend yield of 0.4% following a recently announced quarterly dividend of $0.20.

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,009 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,614 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned 0.07% of Universal Health Services worth $8,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UHS. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. 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. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 49.3% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 89.7% in the first 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 purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth $74,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on UHS shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group set a $227.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Stephens raised shares of Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $201.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Four equities research 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, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $214.08.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded up $0.56 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $194.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 352,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 829,021. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $152.33 and a one year high of $243.25. The firm has a market cap of $12.39 billion, a PE ratio of 10.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $176.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.19.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 in the prior year, the business posted $4.31 EPS. Universal Health Services'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, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is currently 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.