Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Lowers Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 29.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 23,142 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 9,753 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $4,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 9.9% in the first quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 66,700 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $11,925,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 19.5% during the first quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 2,160 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 5.9% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 66,026 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $11,817,000 after buying an additional 3,685 shares during the period. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 32.0% during the 1st quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension now owns 136,277 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $24,389,000 after buying an additional 33,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $151.41 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.31, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $152.40 and its 200 day moving average is $182.29. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $140.08 and a 1 year high of $246.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.41 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.56% and a return on equity of 19.57%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UHS shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $233.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $241.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $216.00 to $190.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Universal Health Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $214.80.

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.