Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives $225.50 Average PT from Analysts

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $226.14.

A number of research firms have recently commented on UHS. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 86.4% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 21,047 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $4,820,000 after buying an additional 9,755 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,436.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 54,070 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $12,383,000 after acquiring an additional 50,551 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,496,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 174.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 41,623 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $9,532,000 after acquiring an additional 26,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,794,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $175.80 on Friday. 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 cap of $11.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services has a one year low of $148.00 and a one year high of $243.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $204.92 and its 200-day moving average is $208.06.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

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.