Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Grows Stock Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 9.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 88,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,860 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $15,810,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $460,590,000 after acquiring an additional 505,575 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,588,911 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $346,447,000 after purchasing an additional 94,447 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,206,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $262,932,000 after purchasing an additional 80,236 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth $199,334,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 59.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 871,377 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $189,978,000 after buying an additional 325,162 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal Health Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $241.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $229.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $268.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.56.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $145.58 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $158.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.85. The firm has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.07. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $140.08 and a 52 week high of $246.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.56% and a return on equity of 19.57%. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.84 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.33%.

About Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.