Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Stock Price

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its target price cut by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $225.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 17.77% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on UHS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Universal Health Services from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $257.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Universal Health Services from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Stephens raised Universal Health Services to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Health Services presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $213.77.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE UHS opened at $178.31 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 9.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.29. The business’s fifty day moving average is $173.42 and its 200 day moving average is $178.83. Universal Health Services has a fifty-two week low of $152.33 and a fifty-two week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 7.66%. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.31 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth about $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the second quarter worth about $31,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 347.6% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 188 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 240.0% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 204 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.