Franklin Resources Inc. Has $29.43 Million Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 163.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 133,499 shares of the health services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 82,913 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.20% of Universal Health Services worth $29,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $623,840,000 after acquiring an additional 17,527 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $379,403,000 after purchasing an additional 63,754 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 603,705 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $138,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,353 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Universal Health Services by 0.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,438 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $89,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 346,969 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $79,459,000 after buying an additional 41,218 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UHS. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. TD Cowen decreased 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. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 2.8 %

UHS stock opened at $177.53 on Thursday. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.00 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. 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 capitalization of $11.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $205.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 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 the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.55 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 5.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.