Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Sets New 12-Month High at $221.66

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $221.66 and last traded at $221.20, with a volume of 22268 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $217.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upgraded Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $189.00 to $226.00 in a report on Monday, May 20th. Barclays upgraded Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $216.31.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $14.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $193.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.60.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.78%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total transaction of $180,293.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $421,038.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’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 directly owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,844.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total transaction of $180,293.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $421,038.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,526 shares of company stock worth $3,903,983 over the last three months. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,335,000 after buying an additional 57,036 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,071,022 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $315,707,000 after purchasing an additional 103,802 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $112,278,000 after purchasing an additional 220,823 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 582,809 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $88,843,000 after purchasing an additional 5,557 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $87,020,000 after purchasing an additional 569,096 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.