Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $228.38.

UHS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Universal Health Services from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

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Insider Activity

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. This represents a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 118.3% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.05% of the company's stock.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of UHS traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $187.07. 49,445 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 710,816. Universal Health Services has a fifty-two week low of $152.69 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $197.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.16 billion, a PE ratio of 12.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. As a group, research analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. Universal Health Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.75%.

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.