Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates Neutral Rating for Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS)

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $219.00 price target on the health services provider’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective points to a potential upside of 8.01% from the company’s previous close.

UHS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $200.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. KeyCorp began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $198.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $232.46.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS opened at $202.75 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Universal Health Services has a 12-month low of $121.00 and a 12-month high of $243.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $229.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $201.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.57 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.27.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 6.22%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 15.87 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $864,248.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Universal Health Services news, Director Nina Chen-Langenmayr sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.11, for a total value of $180,293.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $421,038.35. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren J. Nimetz sold 3,444 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.64, for a total value of $749,552.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $864,248.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 16.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,099,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,295,335,000 after acquiring an additional 57,036 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Universal Health Services by 0.5% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,438 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $89,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in 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. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 362.3% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 322,626 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $59,663,000 after purchasing an additional 252,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 357.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 261,221 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $48,308,000 after purchasing an additional 204,178 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.