Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 22.640-24.520 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 23.440. The company issued revenue guidance of $18.4 billion-$18.8 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.3 billion.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UHS shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $263.00 to $262.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $235.00 price target (down from $259.00) on shares of Universal Health Services in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $253.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Health Services from $227.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $251.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $234.13.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

NYSE:UHS traded up $0.80 on Wednesday, hitting $230.78. The company had a trading volume of 943,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 716,433. Universal Health Services has a 52 week low of $152.33 and a 52 week high of $246.32. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $14.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.96, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $216.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $210.34.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The health services provider reported $5.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.91 by ($0.03). Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 8.09%.Universal Health Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 22.640-24.520 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Universal Health Services by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,588,911 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $346,447,000 after buying an additional 94,447 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 3.7% during the third 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 during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 59.5% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 871,377 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $189,978,000 after purchasing an additional 325,162 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 352,822 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $76,922,000 after purchasing an additional 35,054 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Universal Health Services by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 343,516 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $74,893,000 after purchasing an additional 12,203 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

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.