Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $225.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com cut Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 414.3% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $206.13 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $206.76. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $133.70 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.60 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.93 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. Universal Health Services’s 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.