Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Stock Rated "Hold" by Wall Street Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate Universal Health Services a consensus “Hold”: Of 18 covering firms, 11 recommend holding, six recommend buying and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $202.60.
• Recent price-target changes were mixed: Barclays lowered its target to $168, while RBC raised its target to $207; both maintained neutral-equivalent ratings.
• UHS beat quarterly expectations with earnings of $5.22 per share and revenue of $4.73 billion, up 5.3% year over year. Shares recently traded at $194.60, and institutional investors own about 86% of the stock.

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $202.60.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $179.00 to $168.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Monday, August 31st.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its position in Universal Health Services by 5.0% in the second quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 1,605 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.0% in the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 2,998 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 1.8% in the first quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 5,144 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $921,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 14,900 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,215,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 15,168 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,255,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $194.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 448,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 771,258. Universal Health Services has a one year low of $140.08 and a one year high of $246.32. The company has a market cap of $11.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $181.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The health services provider reported $5.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.71 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 18.39%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.69 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 22.57 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc. NYSE: UHS is a healthcare company that owns and operates hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Its services span acute care, behavioral healthcare and outpatient treatment. The company's facilities provide services such as inpatient and outpatient medical care, emergency services, psychiatric treatment, substance-use-disorder care and rehabilitation. UHS serves communities across the United States and also has operations in the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico.

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