Brokerages Set Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Target Price at $137.71

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS – Get Rating) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $137.71.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UHS. UBS Group upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $113.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. 888 reissued a “maintains” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Monday, May 8th. Mizuho raised their target price on Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Universal Health Services from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $142.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th.

Insider Transactions at Universal Health Services

In related news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 1,680 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.64, for a total transaction of $226,195.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,316 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $715,746.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.08, for a total value of $3,477,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,800 shares in the company, valued at $13,045,704. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 1,680 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.64, for a total transaction of $226,195.20. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,316 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $715,746.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 76,258 shares of company stock worth $10,733,371. 15.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Health Services

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 1.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,856,010 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,138,729,000 after purchasing an additional 146,820 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,026,512 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $728,594,000 after acquiring an additional 113,259 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,733,178 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $666,857,000 after acquiring an additional 101,132 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 7.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,804,556 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $229,346,000 after purchasing an additional 125,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 2.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,586,639 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $201,652,000 after purchasing an additional 32,587 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE:UHS opened at $135.24 on Friday. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $82.50 and a twelve month high of $154.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.74.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The health services provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.45 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 12.33% and a net margin of 5.05%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 10.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.50%.

About Universal Health Services

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Universal Health Services, Inc operates as a healthcare management company, which through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals, behavioral health centers, and outpatient facilities. It operates through the following segments: Acute Care Hospital Services, Behavioral Health Care Services, and Other.