Universal Health Services’ (UHS) Equal Weight Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

Stephens restated their equal weight rating on shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $200.00 target price on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $189.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. UBS Group upgraded Universal Health Services from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $189.00 to $226.00 in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Universal Health Services from $181.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $203.50.

Universal Health Services Trading Up 10.2 %

Universal Health Services stock opened at $204.99 on Thursday. 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 has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $207.70. The company has a market capitalization of $13.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $184.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.43.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.12% and a net margin of 6.22%. The company 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. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 13.83 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.78%.

Universal Health Services declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the health services provider to purchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $87,020,000 after purchasing an additional 569,096 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth about $86,117,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 12,924.9% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $76,820,000 after acquiring an additional 500,066 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth about $49,212,000. Finally, 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth about $40,010,000. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.