Dean Investment Associates LLC Purchases New Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Dean Investment Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,019 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $920,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 414.3% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UHS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.50.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $194.22 on Monday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a one year low of $133.70 and a one year high of $243.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $210.73 and a 200-day moving average of $208.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $12.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

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.