Analysts Set Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) PT at $234.13

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $234.1333.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $253.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective (down from $259.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho set a $242.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $233.00 price target on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 2.3%

Universal Health Services stock opened at $229.87 on Friday. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $152.33 and a 12-month high of $246.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $216.12 and a 200 day moving average of $208.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.5% in the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $460,590,000 after purchasing an additional 505,575 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,588,911 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $346,447,000 after acquiring an additional 94,447 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $264,696,000 after acquiring an additional 145,730 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,206,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $262,932,000 after acquiring an additional 80,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 926,669 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $167,866,000 after acquiring an additional 31,201 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.