Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Short Interest Up 34.9% in April

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,970,000 shares, a growth of 34.9% from the March 31st total of 1,460,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 596,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Universal Health Services by 42.8% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS traded up $0.73 on Tuesday, hitting $169.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 68,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 581,538. The firm has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.24. Universal Health Services has a 12 month low of $119.90 and a 12 month high of $183.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.00.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The health services provider reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.56. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 5.57%. 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 company earned $2.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UHS. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Universal Health Services from $181.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $156.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Universal Health Services from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Universal Health Services from $140.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.64.

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.