Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Given New $223.00 Price Target at Stephens

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its target price increased by Stephens from $210.00 to $223.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has an equal weight rating on the health services provider’s stock.

UHS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $228.00 to $198.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.77.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 5.9 %

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $175.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.55 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.30. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $152.68 and a twelve month high of $243.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $184.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $205.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,614 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,770.85. This represents a 21.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 118.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 179 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 414.3% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 180 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Health Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

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.