What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for UHS FY2024 Earnings?

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Universal Health Services in a research note issued on Wednesday, October 16th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the health services provider will earn $15.42 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $15.40. The consensus estimate for Universal Health Services’ current full-year earnings is $15.87 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UHS. TD Cowen raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $220.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Universal Health Services from $189.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Barclays upgraded Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.77.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $234.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company’s 50 day moving average is $228.76 and its 200-day moving average is $198.55. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $119.90 and a 12-month high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.53 EPS.

Universal Health Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the health services provider to buy up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $864,248.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 1,985 shares in the company, valued at $421,038.35. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $864,248.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535 over the last 90 days. 16.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at about $897,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in Universal Health Services by 95.9% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 19,511 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,560,000 after purchasing an additional 9,549 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 27.9% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 65,643 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $11,998,000 after purchasing an additional 14,326 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth approximately $738,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 5,033.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,084 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,292,000 after buying an additional 6,946 shares during the period. 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.