CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Decreases Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lowered its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 32.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,212 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 582 shares during the quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UHS. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 308.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 6,870 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after acquiring an additional 5,190 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $250,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,497 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,201,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 4,655 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $893,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perissos Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $795,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UHS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.14.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This trade represents a 21.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock opened at $185.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $192.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.56. The company has a market cap of $12.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.11 and a 12-month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.55 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 5.32%.

Universal Health Services Company 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.