Stephens Issues Positive Forecast for Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Stock Price

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price target hoisted by Stephens from $210.00 to $223.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the health services provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $226.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $228.77.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Universal Health Services stock opened at $175.07 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $11.55 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.30. Universal Health Services has a 12 month low of $152.68 and a 12 month high of $243.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $184.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $205.02.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total transaction of $308,516.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $838,821,000 after buying an additional 44,099 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,724,075 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $623,840,000 after acquiring an additional 17,527 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $306,776,000 after acquiring an additional 52,042 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $222,721,000 after purchasing an additional 253,385 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after purchasing an additional 10,578 shares during the period. 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.