Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Lowered to Buy Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on UHS. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $283.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Friday, October 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS traded down $0.91 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $207.50. 572,838 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 892,318. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $13.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.80, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.29. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $127.43 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.08.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.55 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the health services provider to buy up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $864,248.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 362.3% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $59,663,000 after acquiring an additional 252,846 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 357.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $48,308,000 after buying an additional 204,178 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 1,191.8% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 215,215 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $39,267,000 after buying an additional 198,555 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $25,032,000. Finally, Goldentree Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at about $21,378,000. 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.