Analysts Set Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) PT at $231.14

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $231.14.

UHS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 414.3% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS opened at $197.94 on Wednesday. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $133.70 and a 12-month high of $243.25. 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 company has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $218.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $206.09.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.55 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

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.