Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,230,000 shares, a decline of 19.6% from the October 15th total of 1,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 723,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UHS. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Universal Health Services in the first quarter worth about $354,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.2% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 75,120 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $13,706,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 16.5% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 88,190 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $16,091,000 after purchasing an additional 12,516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 31.1% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 75,237 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $13,728,000 after acquiring an additional 17,852 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on UHS. Bank of America began coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $223.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Universal Health Services from $283.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $256.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Universal Health Services from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on Universal Health Services in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. Six 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.14.

Universal Health Services Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Universal Health Services stock traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $201.69. The company had a trading volume of 763,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 842,757. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50 day moving average of $221.18 and a 200 day moving average of $205.36. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $132.74 and a 52-week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The health services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.75 by ($0.04). Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. Universal Health Services’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Health Services will post 15.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

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.