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

Key Points

• Universal Health Services has a consensus analyst rating of “Hold”, based on coverage from 18 brokerages. Among them, 12 rate it a hold, five a buy, and one a sell, with an average 1-year target price of about $212.88.
• Several analysts recently turned more cautious on the stock, including downgrades from Wall Street Zen and Raymond James, while TD Cowen and RBC also lowered price targets. Wells Fargo initiated coverage with an equal weight rating and a $165 target.
• The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $5.62 versus $5.41 expected and revenue of $4.50 billion versus $4.39 billion expected. UHS also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, equal to an annual yield of about 0.5%.

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $212.8750.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial downgraded Universal Health Services from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $197.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $216.00 to $190.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 503.1% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 193 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $155.56 on Monday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $154.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $184.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $140.08 and a 52-week high of $246.32. The company has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.07.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $5.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.41 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.39 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 8.56% and a return on equity of 19.57%. Universal Health Services's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 23.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.33%.

About Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services, Inc NYSE: UHS is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS's facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.

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