Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Free Report) - Analysts at Leerink Partnrs lifted their Q2 2024 EPS estimates for Universal Health Services in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 3rd. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now anticipates that the health services provider will earn $3.57 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $3.53. The consensus estimate for Universal Health Services' current full-year earnings is $13.39 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Universal Health Services' Q3 2024 earnings at $2.95 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $3.95 EPS and Q2 2025 earnings at $4.16 EPS.
Several other brokerages have also weighed in on UHS. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $181.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $148.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $152.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.29.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Universal Health Services
Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.8 %
Shares of UHS traded down $1.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $172.38. The stock had a trading volume of 405,007 shares, compared to its average volume of 551,809. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $119.90 and a 52-week high of $183.61. The business's fifty day moving average is $169.07 and its 200 day moving average is $148.89. The firm has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24.
Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.11. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.02 earnings per share. Universal Health Services's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis.
Universal Health Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.80%.
Insider Activity at Universal Health Services
In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total value of $6,188,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 15.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UHS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,856,010 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,138,729,000 after buying an additional 146,820 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,026,512 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $728,594,000 after buying an additional 113,259 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,398,974 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $427,353,000 after buying an additional 134,122 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,071,022 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $315,707,000 after purchasing an additional 103,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,707,708 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $214,710,000 after purchasing an additional 195,650 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Universal Health Services
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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