Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Shares Gap Down to $160.03

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $160.03, but opened at $155.25. Universal Health Services shares last traded at $153.97, with a volume of 161,889 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective 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. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $181.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.71.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 4.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $10.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50 day moving average price is $170.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.78.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.66 billion. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.02 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Universal Health Services, Inc. will post 13.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 16.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

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

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.