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

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 earned an average rating of "Hold" from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $214.7692.

UHS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted 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 note on Tuesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the second quarter valued at $31,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 347.6% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 188 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE UHS opened at $189.65 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $176.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.69. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $152.33 and a 52 week high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market cap of $12.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.99, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is presently 4.21%.

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.

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