Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Shares Down 2.9% – What’s Next?

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) shares fell 2.9% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $174.10 and last traded at $174.37. 25,383 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 156,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $179.67.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America began coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $194.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.59. The firm has a market cap of $11.80 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.55 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UHS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 362.3% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $59,663,000 after purchasing an additional 252,846 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $48,308,000 after buying an additional 204,178 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 408.2% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 140,561 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $25,994,000 after acquiring an additional 112,902 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in Universal Health Services by 102.0% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 210,926 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,304,000 after acquiring an additional 106,517 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the second quarter worth $18,031,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% 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.