Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Lowered to Equal Weight Rating by Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report report published on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has $235.00 target price on the health services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on UHS. Morgan Stanley set a $233.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $227.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group set a $245.00 price target on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised Universal Health Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $234.20.

Universal Health Services Stock Down 6.0%

Shares of Universal Health Services stock opened at $208.43 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $200.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.90, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.28. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $152.33 and a twelve month high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The health services provider reported $5.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.66 by $1.03. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 8.09%.The business had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.71 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elliot J. Md Mba Sussman sold 965 shares of Universal Health Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.70, for a total transaction of $217,800.50. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,817 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.30, for a total transaction of $852,336.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,893,807.30. The trade was a 31.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Universal Health Services by 310.2% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,607,029 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $328,541,000 after buying an additional 1,215,286 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,494,464 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $305,510,000 after acquiring an additional 181,801 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,461,198 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $264,696,000 after acquiring an additional 145,730 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Universal Health Services by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,125,764 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $230,151,000 after purchasing an additional 40,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Universal Health Services by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 926,669 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $167,866,000 after purchasing an additional 31,201 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.