Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) PT Raised to $200.00

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $195.00 to $200.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 9.94% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $148.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.29.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $181.92. The stock had a trading volume of 79,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 526,471. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $147.15. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $183.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.23.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.66 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.02 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 13.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 15.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UHS. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,070 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 3,695 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 45.4% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 253 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 76.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 187 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.