Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Bank of America

Bank of America started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, StockNewsAPI reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $223.00 price objective on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on UHS. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $283.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS traded up $1.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $205.11. 185,220 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 678,552. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $203.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $13.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.53, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $127.43 and a 1 year high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services declared that its board has initiated a share buyback 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 purchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the company’s 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 owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 3,120 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $569,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,006 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,096,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at $3,878,000. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,455 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.