Brokerages Set Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Target Price at $216.31

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $219.46.

Several brokerages have weighed in on UHS. Baird R W upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Barclays raised Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $247.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 1.4 %

UHS opened at $226.44 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $15.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $227.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $195.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $180.43.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the health services provider to reacquire up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is 6.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,595.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,160 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in Universal Health Services by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 386 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 11.4% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 624 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 0.5% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 12,776 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,331,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 3.1% in the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,455 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.