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Universal Health Services (UHS) Competitors

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$153.45 +5.43 (+3.67%)
Closing price 07/16/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$152.88 -0.56 (-0.37%)
As of 07/16/2026 06:08 PM Eastern
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UHS vs. ACHC, CYH, ELV, HCA, and HUM

Should you buy Universal Health Services stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Universal Health Services with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Universal Health Services include Acadia Healthcare (ACHC), Community Health Systems (CYH), Elevance Health (ELV), HCA Healthcare (HCA), and Humana (HUM). These companies are all part of the "medical" sector.

How does Universal Health Services compare to Acadia Healthcare?

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) and Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) are both mid-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, dividends, media sentiment, profitability, earnings and institutional ownership.

Universal Health Services has higher revenue and earnings than Acadia Healthcare. Acadia Healthcare is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Universal Health Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Acadia Healthcare$3.31B0.93-$1.10B-$12.24N/A
Universal Health Services$17.36B0.53$1.49B$24.006.39

86.1% of Universal Health Services shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Acadia Healthcare shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 17.1% of Universal Health Services shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Acadia Healthcare has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Universal Health Services has a beta of 1.07, indicating that its stock price is 7% more volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Universal Health Services had 1 more articles in the media than Acadia Healthcare. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Universal Health Services and 9 mentions for Acadia Healthcare. Universal Health Services' average media sentiment score of 0.91 beat Acadia Healthcare's score of 0.72 indicating that Universal Health Services is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Acadia Healthcare
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Universal Health Services
5 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Universal Health Services has a net margin of 8.56% compared to Acadia Healthcare's net margin of -32.84%. Universal Health Services' return on equity of 19.57% beat Acadia Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Acadia Healthcare-32.84% 7.09% 3.01%
Universal Health Services 8.56%19.57%9.28%

Acadia Healthcare presently has a consensus price target of $28.69, indicating a potential downside of 14.63%. Universal Health Services has a consensus price target of $214.80, indicating a potential upside of 39.98%. Given Universal Health Services' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Universal Health Services is more favorable than Acadia Healthcare.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Acadia Healthcare
2 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.47
Universal Health Services
0 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.29

Summary

Universal Health Services beats Acadia Healthcare on 13 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Universal Health Services compare to Community Health Systems?

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) and Community Health Systems (NYSE:CYH) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.

Universal Health Services currently has a consensus price target of $214.80, suggesting a potential upside of 39.98%. Community Health Systems has a consensus price target of $3.41, suggesting a potential upside of 0.99%. Given Universal Health Services' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Universal Health Services is more favorable than Community Health Systems.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Universal Health Services
0 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.29
Community Health Systems
3 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.75

In the previous week, Universal Health Services had 4 more articles in the media than Community Health Systems. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Universal Health Services and 6 mentions for Community Health Systems. Universal Health Services' average media sentiment score of 0.91 beat Community Health Systems' score of 0.30 indicating that Universal Health Services is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Universal Health Services
5 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Community Health Systems
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Universal Health Services has a net margin of 8.56% compared to Community Health Systems' net margin of 3.78%. Universal Health Services' return on equity of 19.57% beat Community Health Systems' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Universal Health Services8.56% 19.57% 9.28%
Community Health Systems 3.78%-7.62%0.73%

Universal Health Services has a beta of 1.07, indicating that its stock price is 7% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Community Health Systems has a beta of 1.81, indicating that its stock price is 81% more volatile than the broader market.

Universal Health Services has higher revenue and earnings than Community Health Systems. Community Health Systems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Universal Health Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Universal Health Services$17.36B0.53$1.49B$24.006.39
Community Health Systems$12.49B0.04$509M$3.430.98

86.1% of Universal Health Services shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.0% of Community Health Systems shares are held by institutional investors. 17.1% of Universal Health Services shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 11.1% of Community Health Systems shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Universal Health Services beats Community Health Systems on 15 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Universal Health Services compare to Elevance Health?

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) and Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) are both medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, media sentiment, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Elevance Health has higher revenue and earnings than Universal Health Services. Universal Health Services is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Elevance Health, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Universal Health Services$17.36B0.53$1.49B$24.006.39
Elevance Health$199.13B0.41$5.66B$23.5115.83

In the previous week, Elevance Health had 39 more articles in the media than Universal Health Services. MarketBeat recorded 49 mentions for Elevance Health and 10 mentions for Universal Health Services. Universal Health Services' average media sentiment score of 0.91 beat Elevance Health's score of 0.80 indicating that Universal Health Services is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Universal Health Services
5 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Elevance Health
22 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
13 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Universal Health Services has a net margin of 8.56% compared to Elevance Health's net margin of 2.47%. Universal Health Services' return on equity of 19.57% beat Elevance Health's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Universal Health Services8.56% 19.57% 9.28%
Elevance Health 2.47%14.64%5.22%

Universal Health Services currently has a consensus price target of $214.80, suggesting a potential upside of 39.98%. Elevance Health has a consensus price target of $439.43, suggesting a potential upside of 18.06%. Given Universal Health Services' higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Universal Health Services is more favorable than Elevance Health.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Universal Health Services
0 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.29
Elevance Health
0 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.63

86.1% of Universal Health Services shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.2% of Elevance Health shares are held by institutional investors. 17.1% of Universal Health Services shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Elevance Health shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Universal Health Services pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Elevance Health pays an annual dividend of $6.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Universal Health Services pays out 3.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Elevance Health pays out 29.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Elevance Health has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Elevance Health is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Universal Health Services has a beta of 1.07, meaning that its share price is 7% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Elevance Health has a beta of 0.67, meaning that its share price is 33% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Universal Health Services beats Elevance Health on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Universal Health Services compare to HCA Healthcare?

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) and Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, institutional ownership and dividends.

62.7% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.1% of Universal Health Services shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of HCA Healthcare shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 17.1% of Universal Health Services shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

HCA Healthcare presently has a consensus price target of $486.14, suggesting a potential upside of 26.04%. Universal Health Services has a consensus price target of $214.80, suggesting a potential upside of 39.98%. Given Universal Health Services' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Universal Health Services is more favorable than HCA Healthcare.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
HCA Healthcare
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.54
Universal Health Services
0 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.29

HCA Healthcare pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Universal Health Services pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. HCA Healthcare pays out 10.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Universal Health Services pays out 3.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. HCA Healthcare has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. HCA Healthcare is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

HCA Healthcare has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its share price is 12% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Universal Health Services has a beta of 1.07, suggesting that its share price is 7% more volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, HCA Healthcare had 31 more articles in the media than Universal Health Services. MarketBeat recorded 41 mentions for HCA Healthcare and 10 mentions for Universal Health Services. Universal Health Services' average media sentiment score of 0.91 beat HCA Healthcare's score of 0.31 indicating that Universal Health Services is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
HCA Healthcare
13 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
14 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Universal Health Services
5 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

HCA Healthcare has higher revenue and earnings than Universal Health Services. Universal Health Services is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than HCA Healthcare, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
HCA Healthcare$76.39B1.12$6.78B$29.0813.26
Universal Health Services$17.36B0.53$1.49B$24.006.39

HCA Healthcare has a net margin of 8.89% compared to Universal Health Services' net margin of 8.56%. Universal Health Services' return on equity of 19.57% beat HCA Healthcare's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
HCA Healthcare8.89% -295.93% 11.21%
Universal Health Services 8.56%19.57%9.28%

Summary

HCA Healthcare beats Universal Health Services on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Universal Health Services compare to Humana?

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) and Humana (NYSE:HUM) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk, profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership and earnings.

Universal Health Services pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Humana pays an annual dividend of $3.54 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Universal Health Services pays out 3.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Humana pays out 37.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Universal Health Services has a net margin of 8.56% compared to Humana's net margin of 0.82%. Universal Health Services' return on equity of 19.57% beat Humana's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Universal Health Services8.56% 19.57% 9.28%
Humana 0.82%10.45%3.75%

86.1% of Universal Health Services shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.4% of Humana shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.1% of Universal Health Services shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Humana shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Universal Health Services has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Humana. Universal Health Services is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Humana, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Universal Health Services$17.36B0.53$1.49B$24.006.39
Humana$129.66B0.36$1.19B$9.3541.34

Universal Health Services has a beta of 1.07, meaning that its stock price is 7% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Humana has a beta of 0.71, meaning that its stock price is 29% less volatile than the broader market.

Universal Health Services currently has a consensus target price of $214.80, indicating a potential upside of 39.98%. Humana has a consensus target price of $325.87, indicating a potential downside of 15.69%. Given Universal Health Services' higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Universal Health Services is more favorable than Humana.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Universal Health Services
0 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.29
Humana
2 Sell rating(s)
15 Hold rating(s)
9 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.39

In the previous week, Humana had 20 more articles in the media than Universal Health Services. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Humana and 10 mentions for Universal Health Services. Humana's average media sentiment score of 0.91 beat Universal Health Services' score of 0.91 indicating that Humana is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Universal Health Services
5 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Humana
7 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Universal Health Services beats Humana on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding UHS and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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UHS vs. The Competition

Export
MetricUniversal Health ServicesMED IndustryMedical SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$8.96B$19.21B$6.96B$23.43B
Dividend Yield0.54%0.58%2.68%4.19%
P/E Ratio6.3913.1327.1831.08
Price / Sales0.531.00577.7519.91
Price / Cash4.477.3649.2533.10
Price / Book1.282.0710.784.78
Net Income$1.49B$1.53B$3.59B$1.07B
7 Day Performance-1.36%-1.15%-1.92%0.53%
1 Month Performance8.68%12.83%2.24%2.19%
1 Year Performance-10.25%2.12%23.85%17.07%

Universal Health Services Competitors List

Export
CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
UHS
Universal Health Services
4.8715 of 5 stars		$153.45
+3.7%		$214.80
+40.0%		-10.0%$8.96B$17.36B6.39101,500
ACHC
Acadia Healthcare
1.512 of 5 stars		$31.09
-2.6%		$26.85
-13.7%		+48.2%$2.93B$3.31BN/A25,000
CYH
Community Health Systems
1.8308 of 5 stars		$3.69
-5.4%		$3.28
-11.0%		-6.9%$549.58M$12.49B1.0857,000
ELV
Elevance Health
4.8866 of 5 stars		$408.35
-2.3%		$419.16
+2.6%		+8.0%$90.75B$199.13B17.3797,100
HCA
HCA Healthcare
4.7069 of 5 stars		$417.00
+1.6%		$503.00
+20.6%		+6.3%$91.07B$75.60B14.34320,000

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This page (NYSE:UHS) was last updated on 7/17/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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