Brokerages Set Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Price Target at $231.14

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $231.14.

A number of research analysts have commented on UHS shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $283.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $197.94 on Wednesday. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $133.70 and a 12-month high of $243.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $218.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $206.61. 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 firm has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.29.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.93 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 5.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the third quarter worth $2,194,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $69,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 29,413 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $6,736,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 4.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $379,403,000 after buying an additional 63,754 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.