Analysts have set a target price for Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) at $222.38

VaselineSeptember 9, 2024

0 4 minutes read

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS – Get Your Free Report ) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $222.38.

Several brokerages have commented on UHS. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. September 4th.

Read our latest analysis on universal health services

Insider buying and selling at Universal Health Services

Want more great investment ideas?

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total value of $180,293.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,985 shares in the company, valued at $421,038.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,595.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total transaction of $180,293.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $421,038.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. 16.10% of shares are owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge funds influence universal health care

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,284.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Inçalta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter valued at $36,000. 86.05% of shares are owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Health Services stock performance

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $229.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.17, and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $15.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $209.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.96. Universal Health Services has a fifty-two week low of $119.90 and a fifty-two week high of $241.95.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS – Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The healthcare provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. In the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.53 per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the healthcare provider to acquire up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Universal Health Services announces dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a dividend of $0.80 on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. The payment rate for universal health services is 6.78%.

Universal Health Services Company Profile

(Get a free report

Universal Health Services, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals and behavioral health care and outpatient facilities. It operates through the Hospital Acute Care Services and Behavioral Health Care Services segments. The company’s hospitals provide 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.