Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives $226.14 Average Price Target from Analysts

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $226.14.

Several brokerages have recently commented on UHS. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth $39,000. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 414.3% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 41.8% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 251 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $64,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of UHS opened at $185.27 on Thursday. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $150.11 and a twelve month high of $243.25. The stock has a market cap of $12.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $192.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.56.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is 5.32%.

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.