Core Insights - Three stocks with strong growth characteristics and buy ranks are highlighted for investors: Universal Health Services, Micron Technology, and Skillsoft [1][2][3] Company Summaries - **Universal Health Services (UHS)**: - Operates acute care hospitals, behavioral health centers, surgical hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and radiation oncology centers - Holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) - Zacks Consensus Estimate for current year earnings increased by 0.7% over the last 60 days - PEG ratio of 0.86 compared to the industry average of 1.02 - Growth Score of A [1][2] - **Micron Technology (MU)**: - A leading provider of semiconductor memory solutions - Holds a Zacks Rank 1 - Zacks Consensus Estimate for current year earnings increased by 24.3% over the last 60 days - PEG ratio of 0.48 compared to the industry average of 1.32 - Growth Score of A [2] - **Skillsoft (SKIL)**: - Provides digital learning, training, and talent solutions - Holds a Zacks Rank 1 - Zacks Consensus Estimate for current year earnings increased by 240.9% over the last 60 days - PEG ratio of 0.49 compared to the industry average of 0.88 - Growth Score of B [3]

Financial Performance - Reported net income attributable to Universal Health Services was $373.0 million, or $5.86 per diluted share, for Q3 2025, compared to $258.7 million, or $3.80 per diluted share, in Q3 2024, representing a 44.2% increase in net income [2]. - Net revenues increased by 13.4% to $4.495 billion in Q3 2025, up from $3.963 billion in Q3 2024 [2]. - Adjusted EBITDA net of noncontrolling interests was $684.2 million in Q3 2025, compared to $528.6 million in Q3 2024, reflecting a 29.5% increase [7]. - For the first nine months of 2025, reported net income was $1.043 billion, or $16.07 per diluted share, compared to $809.7 million, or $11.88 per diluted share, in the same period of 2024, marking a 28.8% increase [9]. - Net revenues for the first nine months of 2025 rose by 9.9% to $12.879 billion, compared to $11.714 billion in the same period of 2024 [9]. - Adjusted net income for the first nine months of 2025 was $1.030 billion, or $15.87 per diluted share, compared to $798.2 million, or $11.71 per diluted share, in the same period of 2024 [10]. - Net revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2025, were $4,495,245, compared to $3,963,027 for the same period in 2024, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 13.4% [37]. - Net income attributable to UHS for the three months ended September 30, 2025, was $372,957, an increase of 44.1% from $258,714 in the same period in 2024 [37]. - Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI for the three months ended September 30, 2025, was $670,600, representing 14.9% of net revenues, compared to $526,536 or 13.3% in 2024 [40]. - Basic earnings per share attributable to UHS for the three months ended September 30, 2025, were $5.92, up from $3.89 in 2024, marking a 52.0% increase [39]. Forecast and Projections - The revised forecast for 2025 projects net revenues between $17.306 billion and $17.445 billion, an increase of 1.0% over the previous forecast [25]. - Adjusted EBITDA net of noncontrolling interests for 2025 is forecasted to be between $2.569 billion and $2.619 billion, up from the previous range of $2.458 billion to $2.543 billion [25]. - The midpoint of the revised 2025 forecasted Adjusted EBITDA, net of NCI, represents an increase of 3.9% over the previous range [31]. - The midpoint of the revised 2025 forecasted Adjusted EPS-diluted represents an increase of 6.4% over the previous range [31]. - The company forecasts net revenues for the year ending December 31, 2025, to be between $17.31 billion and $17.45 billion [68]. - Net income attributable to Universal Health Services is forecasted to be between $1.38 billion and $1.42 billion for the year ending December 31, 2025 [68]. Operational Metrics - The company experienced a significant increase in salaries, wages, and benefits, totaling $2,071,898 for the three months ended September 30, 2025, compared to $1,912,308 in 2024 [37]. - Interest expense, net, decreased to $38,431 for the three months ended September 30, 2025, from $44,660 in the same period in 2024 [37]. - The company reported a significant increase in operating income for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, at $1,476,783, compared to $1,209,325 in 2024, reflecting a growth of 22.1% [37]. - Total net revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, reached $12,878,781, up from $11,714,213 in 2024, marking a growth of 10% [43]. - EBITDA margin net of non-controlling interest (NCI) improved to 15.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to 13.9% in 2024 [51]. - Cash flow from operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, was $1,289,704, a decrease from $1,408,664 in the same period of 2024 [49]. - Total assets increased to $15,343,924 as of September 30, 2025, compared to $14,469,749 at the end of 2024 [47]. - UHS's total current liabilities rose to $3,159,190 as of September 30, 2025, from $2,210,406 at the end of 2024 [47]. - The company reported a debt to total capitalization ratio of 39.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, down from 41.3% in 2024 [51]. - Capital expenditures for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, were $733,932, compared to $697,865 in 2024 [51]. Patient and Facility Metrics - The total patient revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2025, reached $23,762,449, reflecting a 13.9% increase from $20,867,174 in the prior year [63]. - Average daily census for behavioral health services increased to 17,824.8, a 1.1% rise from 17,634.9 in the same period of 2024 [63]. - The number of hospitals owned and leased increased to 29, a 7.4% increase from 27 in the prior year [63]. - Average licensed beds for acute care hospitals rose to 7,161, a 5.4% increase from 6,797 in the same period of 2024 [63]. - Inpatient revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2025, was $13,935,095, a 13.4% increase from $12,293,443 in the prior year [63]. - The company reported a 2.7% increase in patient days for acute care hospitals, totaling 412,353 compared to 401,479 in the same period of 2024 [63]. - The company plans to continue expanding its facilities and services to enhance operational performance and meet growing demand in the behavioral health sector [60]. - Total patient revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, increased by 12.4% to $70.91 billion compared to $63.10 billion in the same period of 2024 [65]. - Inpatient revenue rose by 12.2% to $42.12 billion, while outpatient revenue increased by 12.7% to $28.79 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 [65]. - The number of admissions in Acute Care Hospitals increased by 4.4% to 260,459 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to 249,474 in 2024 [65]. - Average licensed beds in Acute Care Hospitals increased by 4.6% to 7,043 as of September 30, 2025, from 6,735 in the prior year [65]. - The average daily census in Acute Care Hospitals increased by 2.9% to 4,554.2 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to 4,425.8 in 2024 [65]. - The occupancy rate for licensed beds in Acute Care Hospitals decreased to 64.7% for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, from 65.7% in the prior year [65]. - The company reported a 1.2% increase in patient days in Behavioral Health services, totaling 1,623,202 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to 1,603,808 in 2024 [65].

Group 1: Market Movements - Several healthcare and biotech stocks experienced significant gains in after-hours trading, influenced by earnings updates, executive appointments, and capital market activities [1] Group 2: Company-Specific Updates - Pulmonx Corp. (LUNG) saw a surge of 33.33% to $2.08, announcing preliminary third-quarter 2025 revenue of approximately $21.5 million and a leadership change with Glen French reappointed as President and CEO [2] - Q32 Bio Inc. (QTTB) increased by 12.5% to $3.15, although no specific news was reported to explain this rise [3] - Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS) climbed 7.41% to $229.90 after reporting third-quarter results and revising its full-year 2025 operating forecast, alongside a $1.5 billion increase in its stock repurchase program [3] - X4 Pharmaceuticals Inc. (XFOR) gained 5.35% to close at $3.94 after completing a public offering of 52.8 million shares, raising approximately $155.3 million before expenses [4] - Greenwich LifeSciences Inc. (GLSI) advanced 5.41% to $10.32 with no new developments reported [5] - Cardiff Oncology, Inc. (CRDF) moved up 5.26% to $2.41, also without any accompanying news [5]

Core Insights - Universal Health Services (UHS) reported a revenue of $4.5 billion for the quarter ended September 2025, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 13.4% [1] - Earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was $5.69, significantly higher than the $3.71 reported in the same quarter last year [1] - The revenue exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.31 billion by 4.23%, while the EPS surpassed the consensus estimate of $4.66 by 22.1% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Behavioral health admissions totaled 120,655, slightly below the two-analyst average estimate of 125,542 [4] - Net revenues from behavioral health services were reported at $1.86 billion, compared to the average estimate of $1.88 billion, marking an 8.5% increase year over year [4] - Acute care hospital services generated net revenues of $2.63 billion, exceeding the average estimate of $2.43 billion, representing a 17.1% year-over-year change [4] - Operating income from behavioral health care services was $347.26 million, below the three-analyst average estimate of $356.37 million [4] - Operating income from acute care hospital services reached $300.01 million, significantly higher than the estimated $223.16 million [4] Stock Performance - Shares of Universal Health Services have returned +4.9% over the past month, outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.5% change [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating potential for outperformance in the near term [3]

Core Insights - Universal Health Services (UHS) reported quarterly earnings of $5.69 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.66 per share, and showing a year-over-year increase from $3.71 per share, resulting in an earnings surprise of +22.10% [1] - The company achieved revenues of $4.5 billion for the quarter ended September 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.23% and increasing from $3.96 billion year-over-year [2] - UHS shares have increased approximately 17.4% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 15.5% [3] Earnings Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $5.75, with expected revenues of $4.48 billion, and for the current fiscal year, the EPS estimate is $20.58 on revenues of $17.17 billion [7] - The estimate revisions trend for UHS was favorable prior to the earnings release, contributing to a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) for the stock, indicating expected outperformance in the near future [6] Industry Context - The Medical - Hospital industry, to which UHS belongs, is currently ranked in the top 39% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting that stocks in the top 50% outperform those in the bottom 50% by more than 2 to 1 [8] - Tenet Healthcare, another company in the same industry, is expected to report quarterly earnings of $3.33 per share, reflecting a year-over-year change of +13.7% [9]

Universal Health Services beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit on Monday, driven by steady demand for medical care services at its hospitals, sending its shares surging 6% in extended t... ...

Core Insights - Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) reported a significant increase in net income and revenues for the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with net income attributable to UHS rising to $373.0 million, or $5.86 per diluted share, from $258.7 million, or $3.80 per diluted share, and net revenues increasing by 13.4% to $4.495 billion from $3.963 billion [1][4][27] Financial Performance - Adjusted net income for the third quarter of 2025 was $362.3 million, or $5.69 per diluted share, compared to $252.5 million, or $3.71 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2024 [2][29] - For the first nine months of 2025, reported net income attributable to UHS was $1.043 billion, or $16.07 per diluted share, up from $809.7 million, or $11.88 per diluted share, in the same period of 2024 [4][27] - Net revenues for the first nine months of 2025 increased by 9.9% to $12.879 billion from $11.714 billion in 2024 [4][29] Operational Metrics - In the third quarter of 2025, adjusted admissions at acute care hospitals increased by 2.0%, and adjusted patient days rose by 0.4% compared to the third quarter of 2024 [6] - Net revenue per adjusted admission increased by 9.8%, and net revenue per adjusted patient day increased by 11.5% during the same period [6] - For the first nine months of 2025, adjusted admissions at acute care hospitals increased by 2.1%, while adjusted patient days increased by 0.6% compared to the same period in 2024 [8] Cash Flow and Liquidity - Net cash provided by operating activities for the first nine months of 2025 was $1.290 billion, down from $1.409 billion in the same period of 2024 [11] - As of September 30, 2025, UHS had $965 million of available borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility [12] Stock Repurchase Program - The Board of Directors authorized a $1.5 billion increase to the stock repurchase program, bringing the total available repurchase authorization to $1.759 billion [12] - In the third quarter of 2025, UHS repurchased 1.315 million shares at an aggregate cost of approximately $234.3 million [12] Revised Operating Results Forecast - UHS revised its 2025 operating results forecast, increasing the range for consolidated net revenues and adjusted EBITDA, net of noncontrolling interests [13][22] - The revised forecast for net revenues is between $17.306 billion and $17.445 billion, with adjusted EBITDA projected at $2.569 billion [15][22]

Momentum investing is essentially the opposite of the tried-and-tested Wall Street adage -- "buy low and sell high." Investors following this investing style typically avoid betting on cheap stocks and waiting long for them to recover. They believe instead that one could make far more money in lesser time by "buying high and selling higher."Who doesn't like betting on fast-moving trending stocks? But determining the right entry point isn't easy. Often, these stocks lose momentum once their valuation moves a ...

Core Insights - The market began 2025 positively but faced volatility due to tariff and geopolitical risks, with the Fed cutting rates by 25 basis points to 4.00–4.25% in September and signaling two more cuts for the year [1] - Despite inflation and rising unemployment, equities remain near record highs, driven by optimism over rate cuts, AI-driven earnings growth, and hopes for a soft landing [1] - Retail investors face challenges in stock selection amidst these conditions [1] Sales Growth as a Key Metric - Sales growth is preferred over earnings for evaluating stocks, as it reflects actual demand and provides visibility into a company's business model durability [3] - Companies that can grow revenues during economic downturns demonstrate pricing power and competitive advantages [3] - Constant sales growth leads to stronger cash flows, allowing for reinvestment, market expansion, or shareholder returns without excessive debt reliance [5] Stock Selection Criteria - Stocks with 5-Year Historical Sales Growth (%) greater than industry average and Cash Flow over $500 million are prioritized [6] - Additional metrics include P/S Ratio less than industry average, positive % Change in F1 Sales Estimate Revisions, Operating Margin greater than 5%, and Return on Equity (ROE) greater than 5% [7][8][9] Recommended Stocks - **Lamb Weston (LW)**: Expected sales growth rate of 1.3% for fiscal 2026, Zacks Rank 1 [12] - **Universal Health Services (UHS)**: Expected sales growth rate of 8.5% for 2025, Zacks Rank 2 [14] - **FirstEnergy Corp (FE)**: Expected sales growth of 6.6% in 2025, Zacks Rank 2 [14] - **NetEase, Inc. (NTES)**: Expected sales growth of 10.3% for 2025, Zacks Rank 2 [15] - **JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)**: Expected sales growth of 2.1% in 2025, Zacks Rank 2 [16]

Core Insights - Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) is scheduled to report its third-quarter 2025 results on October 27, with earnings estimated at $4.56 per share and revenues of $4.3 billion [1][8] Earnings Estimates - The third-quarter earnings estimates for UHS have been revised upward in the last 90 days, indicating a projected increase of 22.9% year-over-year [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues suggests an 8.9% year-over-year growth [2] - For the full year 2025, the revenue estimate stands at $17.2 billion, reflecting an 8.5% increase year-over-year, while the earnings per share estimate is $20.43, indicating a growth of approximately 23% [3] Recent Performance - UHS has outperformed the consensus earnings estimate in three of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 9.4% [3] Earnings Prediction Model - The current model does not predict a definitive earnings beat for UHS, as it has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [4] Revenue Growth Drivers - Revenue growth in the third quarter is expected to be driven by strong performance in the Acute Care Hospital Services and Behavioral Health Care Services segments [5][8] - The Acute Care Hospital Services segment is projected to generate net revenues of $2.4 billion, representing an 8.2% year-over-year growth, with same-facility adjusted admissions expected to grow by 3.6% [6] - The Behavioral Health Care Services segment is anticipated to achieve net revenues of $1.9 billion, indicating a 9.4% increase from the prior year, supported by a 7% rise in adjusted patient days [9] Cost Pressures - Despite the expected revenue growth, UHS may face margin pressures due to rising total expenses, particularly from increased salaries, wages, and supply costs, with salaries projected to rise by 8.6% year-over-year and supply expenses by nearly 8.1% [10]