Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $231.17.

UHS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 118.3% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 414.3% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Universal Health Services stock opened at $174.85 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 capitalization of $11.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. Universal Health Services has a 1-year low of $152.68 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company’s 50-day moving average is $184.15 and its 200 day moving average is $203.91.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.75%.

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.