Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) PT Raised to $200.00

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $195.00 to $200.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 9.94% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Universal Health Services from $152.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays initiated coverage on Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $181.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.29.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $181.92. 79,289 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 526,471. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $166.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.15. The company has a market capitalization of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.23. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $119.90 and a 52-week high of $183.50.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The health services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 5.03%. Universal Health Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.02 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 13.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total value of $6,188,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 15.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,967,220 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $247,339,000 after purchasing an additional 638,166 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 32,501.2% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,847 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $87,020,000 after acquiring an additional 569,096 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,117,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Universal Health Services by 12,924.9% in the 4th 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. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $74,152,000. 86.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.