Barclays Raises Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Price Target to $189.00

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $181.00 to $189.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the health services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $208.00 to $203.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Stephens restated an equal weight rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $182.64.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $166.06 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $170.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.68. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $119.90 and a twelve month high of $183.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 5.57%. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 13.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,162,563.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.