31,382 Shares in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Purchased by Ellsworth Advisors LLC

Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 31,382 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,784,000. Universal Health Services accounts for 1.5% of Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $526,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 53,239 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $8,116,000 after buying an additional 7,616 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $214,710,000 after purchasing an additional 195,650 shares during the period. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $639,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 15.40% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $182.46. 699,083 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 606,616. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $183.61. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $167.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.40.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.02 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $181.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $148.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.29.

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.