Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $166.00 to $170.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the health services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 3.26% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $198.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Universal Health Services from $212.00 to $191.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Universal Health Services from $209.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $179.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.31.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

Shares of UHS stock opened at $175.73 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $177.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.32. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $140.08 and a 52 week high of $246.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.36 billion, a PE ratio of 7.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The health services provider reported $5.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.71 billion. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 18.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 22.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in Universal Health Services by 108.4% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 10,935 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,044,000 after acquiring an additional 5,688 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 536 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Team Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,607,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $454,334,000 after acquiring an additional 637,894 shares during the period. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is a healthcare services company that owns and operates hospitals, outpatient facilities and other healthcare providers. Its operations are focused primarily on acute care and behavioral health services.

The company’s acute care operations include general and specialty hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency departments, physician practices and other outpatient services. Its behavioral health business provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for mental health conditions, substance-use disorders and related needs.

Universal Health Services serves patients across the United States and Puerto Rico, with additional behavioral health operations in the United Kingdom.