Raymond James Financial Upgrades Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) to Outperform

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Raymond James Financial from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $270.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock. Raymond James Financial’s price target suggests a potential upside of 22.43% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $243.00 to $203.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $227.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $210.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $233.20.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS stock opened at $220.53 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.03 billion, a PE ratio of 10.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.30. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $152.33 and a 12-month high of $227.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $198.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.30.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The health services provider reported $5.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.66 by $1.03. The business had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 8.09%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.71 EPS. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 21.500-22.100 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total transaction of $217,800.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,379,704.10. The trade was a 13.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 16.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UHS. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in Universal Health Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $87,373,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $83,333,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 100.6% during the second quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 2,560 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 426,211 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 57.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 931,355 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $173,381,000 after buying an additional 340,966 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 329.4% during the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 404,806 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $76,081,000 after buying an additional 310,531 shares during the last quarter. 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.