SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 24,906 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 83.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,024 shares of the health services provider's stock after selling 24,906 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $766,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 48.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,967,220 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $247,339,000 after acquiring an additional 638,166 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth $66,334,000. Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth $74,152,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 45.4% during the second quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 802,139 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $80,784,000 after purchasing an additional 250,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the second quarter valued at $31,783,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on UHS. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $148.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $152.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.29.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE UHS traded up $1.32 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $173.74. 488,283 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 554,103. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $168.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $148.72. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $183.61.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.11. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.02 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.80%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total value of $6,188,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 16.60% of the company's stock.

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.