Guggenheim Begins Coverage on Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS)

Analysts at Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $208.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock. Guggenheim’s target price points to a potential upside of 16.39% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $271.00 to $249.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Universal Health Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $226.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.93.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 2.4 %

UHS stock opened at $178.71 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $180.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.28. Universal Health Services has a fifty-two week low of $152.69 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 6.66%. Analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 54,105 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $9,721,000 after purchasing an additional 9,946 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 255.3% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,345 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,559 shares in the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 175.6% in the fourth quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,792 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,779 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after buying an additional 10,578 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,176 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,467,000 after buying an additional 2,472 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.