Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $226.14.

UHS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Universal Health Services from $222.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $285.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $188.29 on Monday. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $152.68 and a 1 year high of $243.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.30. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.96.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.15, for a total value of $308,516.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,879 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,770.85. The trade was a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Choreo LLC grew its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,306,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,238 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $512,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 516 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,060 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.