Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Acquired by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) by 84.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,352 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,551 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV's holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 727 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth about $96,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 9.6% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,004 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UHS. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. UBS Group upgraded Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $189.00 to $226.00 in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $181.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.47.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total value of $6,188,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.10% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock traded down $1.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $180.20. 713,115 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 609,556. The business has a 50-day moving average of $172.55 and a 200 day moving average of $159.58. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $119.90 and a fifty-two week high of $183.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 5.57%. The business had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.58 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.78%.

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.