Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Upgraded to Buy at TD Cowen

TD Cowen upgraded shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $283.00 target price on the health services provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $220.00.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on UHS. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $236.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Baird R W upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.77.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UHS opened at $236.90 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $228.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $198.30. Universal Health Services has a 1-year low of $119.90 and a 1-year high of $243.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $15.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.27.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The health services provider reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.94. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.53 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the health services provider to repurchase up to 8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Health Services

In other Universal Health Services news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Eileen C. Mcdonnell sold 2,535 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.55, for a total value of $531,209.25. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,844.15. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total transaction of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,970 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,535 in the last three months. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UHS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 362.3% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $59,663,000 after purchasing an additional 252,846 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 357.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $48,308,000 after purchasing an additional 204,178 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 1,191.8% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 215,215 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $39,267,000 after purchasing an additional 198,555 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth approximately $25,032,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 41.2% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 455,773 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $83,160,000 after purchasing an additional 132,942 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by 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.