Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,303 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 2,614 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $5,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,004 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Humankind Investments LLC raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Humankind Investments LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 3,250 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Platinum Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 16.9% during the third quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 727 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.6 %

UHS traded up $0.96 on Friday, hitting $166.06. 797,996 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 585,350. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $170.63 and its 200-day moving average is $153.34. The company has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $183.61.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.78 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.43% and a net margin of 5.57%. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on UHS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.60.

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.