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

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.79.

A number of brokerages recently commented on UHS. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $152.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $181.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup boosted 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 report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UHS. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS stock traded down $2.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $167.70. The company had a trading volume of 597,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 757,962. The stock has a market cap of $11.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $171.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.84. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $119.90 and a 52-week high of $183.61.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.34%. Universal Health Services's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Universal Health Services

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.