Zacks Research Has Bullish Forecast for UHS Q1 Earnings

Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) – Zacks Research upped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Universal Health Services in a research report issued on Monday, April 7th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the health services provider will post earnings of $4.24 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $4.22. The consensus estimate for Universal Health Services’ current full-year earnings is $15.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Universal Health Services’ Q2 2025 earnings at $4.65 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.42 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $18.58 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.68 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.94 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $5.06 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $5.41 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $20.08 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.04 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $21.15 EPS.

UHS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Universal Health Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Universal Health Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $226.00 price objective on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.93.

Universal Health Services Stock Performance

UHS opened at $183.31 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $11.92 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $180.53 and a 200-day moving average of $193.74. Universal Health Services has a 52-week low of $152.69 and a 52-week high of $243.25.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The health services provider reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.71. Universal Health Services had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion.

Universal Health Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Universal Health Services’s payout ratio is presently 4.75%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Maria Ruderman Singer sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.16, for a total value of $179,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,418,230.56. The trade was a 11.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 16.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Health Services by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,675,182 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $838,821,000 after acquiring an additional 44,099 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,713,572 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $306,776,000 after purchasing an additional 52,042 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,241,340 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $222,721,000 after purchasing an additional 253,385 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,197,537 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $274,248,000 after buying an additional 10,578 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 624,143 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $111,984,000 after buying an additional 27,903 shares during the last quarter. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.