Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Downgraded to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Universal Health Services has been downgraded from a "strong-buy" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, while analysts from Royal Bank Of Canada raised the price target from $201.00 to $206.00.
• The company reported earnings of $5.35 per share for the last quarter, exceeding consensus estimates of $4.85, and its revenue increased by 9.6% year-over-year.
• Current analyst recommendations show four "Buy," nine "Hold," and one "Sell" rating, with an average price target of $214.77.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

UHS has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group set a $227.00 price target on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Stephens upgraded Universal Health Services to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $214.08.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE UHS traded up $0.80 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $188.19. 562,475 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 656,747. The business's fifty day moving average price is $176.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.89. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $152.33 and a 52 week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released 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. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.25%. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.31 EPS. The firm'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. Equities research analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 99.2% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 12,450 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,234,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,858 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $2,307,000 after acquiring an additional 3,011 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,141,000. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.4% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,152 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $968,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at $74,000. Institutional investors 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.