Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.58 EPS

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The health services provider reported $3.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.12 by $0.58, Briefing.com reports. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The business had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

NYSE UHS traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $165.90. 1,107,052 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 570,649. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $119.90 and a 1 year high of $183.61. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Health Services news, CFO Steve Filton sold 35,000 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.82, for a total transaction of $6,188,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,785 shares in the company, valued at $12,162,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UHS shares. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Barclays started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $181.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.71.

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.