Universal Health Services
0LJL.L
$222.15 -2.18%
Exchange: LSE | Sector: Healthcare | Industry: Medical Equipment Services
Q4 2024
Published: Feb 26, 2025

Earnings Highlights

  • Revenue of $4.11B up 11.1% year-over-year
  • EPS of $4.96 increased by 58.9% from previous year
  • Gross margin of 90.1%
  • Net income of 332.40M
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0LJL.L
Company 0LJL.L

Executive Summary

Universal Health Services (0LJL.L) delivered a solid Q4 2024 with notable top-line growth and robust operating cash flow, supported by a high-margin gross result and disciplined cost management. Revenue reached USD 4.1137 billion, up 11.1% year-over-year and 3.8% quarter-over-quarter, while net income of USD 332.4 million produced an 8.08% net margin and USD 5.07 per basic share (USD 4.96 diluted). EBITDA was USD 623.95 million, yielding an EBITDA margin of approximately 15.2% (EBITDAR 0.1517). The quarter also underscored strong operating cash flow (USD 658.4 million) and a healthy free cash flow (USD 412.5 million), which funded ongoing capital expenditure of USD 245.9 million and resulted in a free cash flow yield consistent with a mature hospital operator.

From a balance sheet perspective, UHS maintains a sizable asset base (total assets USD 14.47 billion) and a substantial goodwill position (USD 3.93 billion). Total debt stood at USD 4.96 billion with net debt around USD 4.83 billion, and liquidity metrics show a current ratio of 1.27 and a cash-to-safety buffer that remains modest (cash at period end USD 224.8 million). Interest coverage remains strong at ~11.8x, underscoring resilience to near-term interest-rate volatility, but the company carries meaningful leverage and goodwill relative to equity. Management commentary (noted in the call where available) typically emphasized demand for acute care and behavioral health services, ongoing capacity optimization, and the strategic importance of scale in a highly capital-intensive industry; however, no formal forward-looking guidance was disclosed in the provided data.

Overall, the QQ4 2024 result set positions UHS as a cash-generative operator with solid profitability and cash flow generation, albeit with balance-sheet leverage and structural asset-intensity that merit close monitoring for solvency and capital allocation efficiency.

Key Performance Indicators

Revenue
Increasing
4.11B
QoQ: 3.80% | YoY: 11.08%
Gross Profit
Increasing
3.71B
90.13% margin
QoQ: 3.78% | YoY: 1 019.52%
Operating Income
Increasing
472.49M
QoQ: 22.99% | YoY: 42.66%
Net Income
Increasing
332.40M
QoQ: 28.48% | YoY: 53.62%
EPS
Increasing
5.07
QoQ: 30.33% | YoY: 58.93%

Revenue Trend

Margin Analysis

Historical Earnings Comparison

PeriodRevenue ($M)EPS ($)YoY GrowthReport
Q3 2025 4,495.25 5.74 +13.4% View
Q2 2025 4,283.82 5.43 +9.6% View
Q1 2025 4,099.72 4.80 +6.7% View
Q4 2024 4,113.72 4.96 +11.1% View
Q3 2024 3,963.03 3.80 +11.2% View