Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Stock Price Down 5.7% After Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) fell 5.7% during trading on Wednesday after TD Cowen lowered their price target on the stock from $251.00 to $245.00. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the stock. Universal Health Services traded as low as $209.03 and last traded at $209.0790. 438,264 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 695,412 shares. The stock had previously closed at $221.74.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UHS. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $227.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $233.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group set a $245.00 target price on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 price target on Universal Health Services and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $234.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total transaction of $217,800.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,113 shares in the company, valued at $1,379,704.10. This represents a 13.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 shares were 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 approximately $1,893,807.30. The trade was a 31.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 16.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 320.0% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 126 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 94.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 163 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 5.6%

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $200.47. The stock has a market cap of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.94, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.66 by $1.03. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 19.47%. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.80%.

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.