Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The health services provider reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.12 by $0.58, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.78 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The business's revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of UHS traded up $0.93 on Wednesday, hitting $165.84. 1,213,361 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 571,994. 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 market capitalization of $11.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $170.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.01. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $119.90 and a 1 year high of $183.61.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 16.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UHS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $152.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $179.71.

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.