Haverford Trust Co Cuts Holdings in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Haverford Trust Co lowered its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 14.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,312 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 556 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $758,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UHS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UHS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of UHS stock opened at $200.99 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $221.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.89. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $132.38 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a market cap of $13.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.36, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the health services provider to repurchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.