Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $204.9333.

UHS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Universal Health Services from $242.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $197.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $212.00 to $191.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $204.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 51.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 54,975 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $11,988,000 after purchasing an additional 18,652 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 119,385 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $26,250,000 after purchasing an additional 6,022 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 79.8% in the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,576 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $8,515,000 after buying an additional 21,122 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 33.1% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 119,561 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $26,136,000 after buying an additional 29,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 58.2% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 15,961 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,857,000 after buying an additional 5,870 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:UHS opened at $169.43 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $9.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.06. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $140.08 and a twelve month high of $246.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.84.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.94 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 19.39%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.35 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 22.96 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3.26%.

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.