TD Cowen Upgrades Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) to “Buy”

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) was upgraded by TD Cowen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $283.00 price objective on the health services provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $220.00. TD Cowen’s target price suggests a potential upside of 20.89% from the stock’s current price.

UHS has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. KeyCorp started coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.77.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 1.2 %

UHS stock opened at $234.10 on Wednesday. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $228.76 and a 200 day moving average of $198.55. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $119.90 and a twelve month high of $243.25. The firm has a market cap of $15.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.27.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.53 EPS. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the health services provider to buy up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total transaction of $531,209.25. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535 over the last quarter. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,160 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 386 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 624 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 283 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% in the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,455 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

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.