Uncommon Cents Investing LLC Takes Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,450 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $526,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 76.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 187 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 45.4% in the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 253 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 33.3% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS traded up $0.61 on Thursday, hitting $182.46. 595,099 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 536,839. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $166.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $12.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.23. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $119.90 and a fifty-two week high of $183.61.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.66 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.80%.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 15.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on UHS shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $148.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.29.

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.