Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,230,000 shares, a decrease of 19.6% from the October 15th total of 1,530,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 723,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Currently, 2.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its position in Universal Health Services by 45.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 1,909 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP raised its position in Universal Health Services by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 16,901 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,870,000 after purchasing an additional 4,570 shares during the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth $475,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 73.0% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,226 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $510,000 after buying an additional 939 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on UHS. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Universal Health Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a "sector weight" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Six 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS stock traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $200.85. The stock had a trading volume of 341,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 678,882. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29. 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 50-day simple moving average of $221.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.89. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $132.74 and a 52 week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. Universal Health Services's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the health services provider to buy up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.