ProShare Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 3.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,831 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $3,230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UHS. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth $30,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 347.6% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 188 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Universal Health Services by 240.0% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 204 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 89.7% during the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 258 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 22.9% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 354 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on UHS shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $233.00 price objective on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group set a $231.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.87.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In other news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total transaction of $852,336.10. Following the sale, the director owned 8,481 shares in the company, valued at $1,893,807.30. This trade represents a 31.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total transaction of $217,800.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,379,704.10. The trade was a 13.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of UHS stock opened at $224.97 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $231.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $206.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.68. The stock has a market cap of $14.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.33.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The business had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.71 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

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.