Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives $232.64 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemUniversal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS – Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $234.1429.
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UHS shares. UBS Group set a $231.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $227.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on UHS
Universal Health Services Stock Performance
UHS stock opened at $238.65 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $193.07. The company has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.34, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Universal Health Services has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $246.32.
Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.32 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 19.47%. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Universal Health Services Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 3.80%.
Insider Activity at Universal Health Services
In related news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total transaction of $852,336.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,893,807.30. This trade represents a 31.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total transaction of $217,800.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,379,704.10. This trade represents a 13.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 16.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UHS. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 310.2% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,607,029 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $328,541,000 after buying an additional 1,215,286 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,494,464 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $305,510,000 after acquiring an additional 181,801 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,461,198 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $264,696,000 after acquiring an additional 145,730 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,125,764 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $230,151,000 after purchasing an additional 40,533 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Universal Health Services by 57.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 931,355 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $173,381,000 after purchasing an additional 340,966 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.
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