Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $224.92.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $189.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Baird R W raised Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $864,248.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at $864,248.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total transaction of $180,293.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $421,038.35. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the second quarter worth $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE UHS opened at $212.79 on Tuesday. Universal Health Services has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The stock has a market cap of $14.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $227.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $196.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the health services provider to reacquire up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 6.78%.

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.