924 Shares in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Purchased by B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 924 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 362.3% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $59,663,000 after buying an additional 252,846 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Universal Health Services by 357.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,308,000 after acquiring an additional 204,178 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 408.2% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 140,561 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,994,000 after purchasing an additional 112,902 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 102.0% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 210,926 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $48,304,000 after purchasing an additional 106,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,031,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $180.11 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $204.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $208.17. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $149.02 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd 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 Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UHS. Bank of America assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.14.

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.