Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases 10,169 Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. $UHS

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,721 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,169 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $7,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $159,698,000 after acquiring an additional 141,621 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,912,000. BTC Capital Management Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $9,203,000 after acquiring an additional 26,047 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake 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 worth $328,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 41.6% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 49,250 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $10,069,000 after purchasing an additional 14,478 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE UHS opened at $157.61 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.14. The stock has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.13. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.33 and a 12-month high of $246.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.01 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 business had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 23.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $245.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $233.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.56.

Universal Health Services Company 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.