Barclays Raises Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Price Target to $189.00

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price target increased by Barclays from $181.00 to $189.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the health services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Universal Health Services from $152.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Mizuho increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Citigroup increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $182.64.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $169.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.24. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $119.90 and a 1 year high of $183.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $170.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other 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.