Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) PT Raised to $275.00

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the health services provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target would indicate a potential upside of 18.25% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on UHS. TD Cowen raised shares of Universal Health Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $220.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Universal Health Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $231.31.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of UHS stock traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $232.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 606,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 665,415. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.27. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $229.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $199.77. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the health services provider to repurchase up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total transaction of $180,293.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,985 shares of the company's stock, valued at $421,038.35. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. Corporate insiders own 16.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% in the 2nd 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 period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company's stock.

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.