Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. Has $270,000 Stock Position in Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)

Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. trimmed its stake in shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,771 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 266 shares during the quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Universal Health Services were worth $270,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in Universal Health Services by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 49,769 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $7,587,000 after purchasing an additional 4,677 shares during the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $300,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Universal Health Services by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,900 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,509,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in Universal Health Services by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,436 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $829,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of UHS traded up $3.70 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $164.83. The stock had a trading volume of 803,844 shares, compared to its average volume of 562,165. The company has a market cap of $11.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Universal Health Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $183.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $170.42 and a 200 day moving average of $152.92.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.02 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $152.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.71.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In other news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

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.