Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives $231.14 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $231.14.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UHS. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Barclays upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $283.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 362.3% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $59,663,000 after purchasing an additional 252,846 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 357.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,308,000 after acquiring an additional 204,178 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,191.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 215,215 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $39,267,000 after acquiring an additional 198,555 shares during the last quarter. Goldentree Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at $21,378,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 408.2% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 140,561 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $25,994,000 after purchasing an additional 112,902 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $197.94 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $218.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.61. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $133.70 and a 52-week high of $243.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.93 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 5.32%.

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.