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

Key Points

• Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from fourteen analysts, with one sell rating, nine holds, and four buy ratings.
• The stock currently has an average 1-year price target of $214.77, following adjustments by various financial institutions.
• Universal Health Services recently reported a quarterly EPS of $5.35, exceeding analysts' expectations, and has set FY 2025 guidance of 20.000-21.000 EPS.

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $214.0769.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UHS shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $259.00 to $250.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Stephens upgraded shares of Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $201.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 347.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 188 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.3%

UHS traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $188.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,396,397 shares, compared to its average volume of 651,998. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.93, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $152.33 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The stock's 50-day moving average is $176.70 and its 200-day moving average is $179.00.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.50. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.25%. The business had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.31 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.000-21.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.21%.

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.