Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $219.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.77.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS opened at $233.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market capitalization of $15.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $229.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $199.34. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $119.90 and a 1 year high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.53 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.87 EPS for the current year.

Universal Health Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total value of $3,192,479.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Matthew Jay Peterson sold 15,141 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.85, for a total transaction of $3,192,479.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,595.05. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at $864,248.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,970 shares of company stock worth $4,653,535. 16.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $378,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,353.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 44,159 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $10,113,000 after buying an additional 41,121 shares during the last quarter. Compass Ion Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth $248,000. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter worth $1,402,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 173.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 69,309 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $15,873,000 after buying an additional 43,946 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is 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.