Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Upgraded at Baird R W

Baird R W upgraded shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an underweight rating and issued a $156.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the company from $189.00 to $226.00 in a research report on Monday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $193.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UHS opened at $184.82 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $180.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.16. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $194.02. The firm has a market cap of $12.37 billion, a PE ratio of 15.66, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.78 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 13.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,335,000 after buying an additional 57,036 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,071,022 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $315,707,000 after purchasing an additional 103,802 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,707,708 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $214,710,000 after acquiring an additional 195,650 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,090,010 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $137,047,000 after acquiring an additional 37,243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 736,542 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $112,278,000 after acquiring an additional 220,823 shares in the last quarter. 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.