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

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its target price lifted by research analysts at Barclays from $181.00 to $189.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.81% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.64.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS opened at $166.06 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $170.63 and its 200-day moving average is $153.50. Universal Health Services has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $183.61. The firm has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.34%. The business had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. Universal Health Services’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 13.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 45.8% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 10,861 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 3,411 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 28,456 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,578,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Universal Health Services by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,300 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Universal Health Services by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,816 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in Universal Health Services by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 33,440 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $4,204,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

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.