Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eleven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $176.29.

UHS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $181.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Universal Health Services from $148.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 16.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 9.0% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 10,079 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,461,000 after acquiring an additional 828 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,674 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,691,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 19,853 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,878,000 after acquiring an additional 3,699 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 6.6% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 9,784 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 2.3% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,026,512 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $728,594,000 after acquiring an additional 113,259 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock traded down $0.13 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $171.50. 665,265 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 549,269. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $170.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24. Universal Health Services has a fifty-two week low of $119.90 and a fifty-two week high of $183.61.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.02 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 13.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio is 7.80%.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

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.