Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Price Target Raised to $259.00

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $249.00 to $259.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.78% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $233.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $219.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.87.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE:UHS traded down $0.80 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $227.63. The stock had a trading volume of 142,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 794,360. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $152.33 and a 52 week high of $231.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $204.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $188.04.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 8.09%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.71 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total value of $217,800.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,379,704.10. This represents a 13.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total transaction of $852,336.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,893,807.30. This represents a 31.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 16.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UHS. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 320.0% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 126 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

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.