IFM Investors Pty Ltd Boosts Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 0.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,776 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 4.1% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,398,974 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $427,353,000 after acquiring an additional 134,122 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Universal Health Services by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,071,022 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $315,707,000 after purchasing an additional 103,802 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 12.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,707,708 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $214,710,000 after purchasing an additional 195,650 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 0.4% during the third quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 1,463,921 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $184,059,000 after buying an additional 6,400 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 3.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,090,010 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $137,047,000 after buying an additional 37,243 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction 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 approximately $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of UHS traded up $0.96 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $166.06. The company had a trading volume of 965,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 685,070. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $170.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.34. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.90 and a 52-week high of $183.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.34%. The business had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on UHS. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $181.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.60.

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.