Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives $224.77 Average Price Target from Analysts

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $224.77.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $208.00 price target for the company. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $249.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Stephens raised shares of Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $224.00 target price (down previously from $274.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS traded down $0.45 on Friday, reaching $172.22. The stock had a trading volume of 746,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 760,288. The company has a market capitalization of $11.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.31. Universal Health Services has a 1-year low of $153.99 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $181.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $183.49.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The health services provider reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.48. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.70 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Universal Health Services's payout ratio is 4.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,097 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.48, for a total transaction of $210,053.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,509,628.32. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,060 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 49.3% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,665 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,266 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. 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.