Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 104.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,478 shares of the health services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,356 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $2,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 781,145 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $159,698,000 after buying an additional 141,621 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,912,000. BTC Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 161.3% in the 4th quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,199 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $9,203,000 after buying an additional 26,047 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 310.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,607,029 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $328,541,000 after buying an additional 1,215,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 49,250 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $10,069,000 after buying an additional 14,478 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UHS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Stephens lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.56.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE UHS opened at $157.61 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $177.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $204.14. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.33 and a 12 month 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.57, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.13.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.84 earnings per share. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Profile

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.