Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. Lowers Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. lessened its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,771 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 266 shares during the quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 49,769 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $7,587,000 after purchasing an additional 4,677 shares in the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at $300,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,900 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,509,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,436 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on UHS shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Barclays started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $181.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $156.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.71.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 2.3 %

Universal Health Services stock traded up $3.70 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $164.83. 803,844 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 562,165. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.40. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $183.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $170.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.92. The company has a market cap of $11.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.24.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.66 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.02 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

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.