Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Price Target Raised to $274.00 at Robert W. Baird

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price target raised by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from $236.00 to $274.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target indicates a potential upside of 14.50% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $222.38.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $239.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.02 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $208.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.14. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $119.90 and a twelve month high of $239.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.53 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.89 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the health services provider to reacquire up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $864,248.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total transaction of $531,209.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $864,248.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535 over the last three months. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,335,000 after purchasing an additional 57,036 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,071,022 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $315,707,000 after buying an additional 103,802 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $112,278,000 after buying an additional 220,823 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 582,809 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $88,843,000 after acquiring an additional 5,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $87,020,000 after acquiring an additional 569,096 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.