Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Cuts Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,685 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 2,214 shares during the quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. owned 0.09% of Universal Health Services worth $11,068,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Choreo LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,060 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,266 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 488 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,512 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,783,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Baird R W cut shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim started coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. Stephens increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $224.77.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total transaction of $179,160.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE:UHS traded down $2.36 during trading on Thursday, reaching $174.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 608,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 747,596. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.99 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The firm has a market cap of $11.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $176.49 and a 200-day moving average of $188.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.48. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.75%.

Universal Health Services 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.