Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Rating Lowered to Buy at 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 research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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. Bank of America lowered shares of Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group set a $227.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and set a $227.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $214.77.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $191.80 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $176.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.64. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $152.33 and a 52-week high of $243.25. The firm has a market cap of $12.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.31 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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 analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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