Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives $204.93 Average Target Price from Analysts

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

A number of research firms have issued reports on UHS. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $197.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 22nd. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Universal Health Services from $235.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Universal Health Services from $190.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $179.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $199,334,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $460,590,000 after buying an additional 505,575 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 100.6% during the second quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 2,560 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 426,211 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 59.5% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 871,377 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $189,978,000 after buying an additional 325,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,781,262 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $318,812,000 after acquiring an additional 192,351 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.6%

UHS stock opened at $171.40 on Friday. Universal Health Services has a fifty-two week low of $140.08 and a fifty-two week high of $246.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.98, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $154.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.96.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.94 by $0.04. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 19.39%. The company had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.35 earnings per share. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 23.16 earnings per share 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 paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.26%.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

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.